Before I Die Alone
by Jeralee
Summary: AU. Set a few years after DMC1. Vergil escapes Mundus' confinements and attempts to pick up where he left off, wanting revenge, wanting power. The only thing that stands in his way now is the sudden emergence of his...mate? Vergil x OC. On hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone :) I have finally got my Vergil x OC fic up yay! I figured I needed a bit of a break from my other DmC fic which I'm really getting a little tired of so tried my hand at writing Vergil.

Ok, so firstly if he is OOC and you hate this, my bad. I apologize. He is so hard to write I really don't get his character. I really really really don't :(

It starts a few good years after DMC1; after Vergil loses to Dante as Nelo Angelo, he is called back by Mundus who strips him of his soul and mind, and is punished in Hell to be tortured for the rest of eternity. Years later, he is awakened by the scent of... le gasp...his mate! Chapter 1 actually starts off somewhat in the middle of all this. Oh well. There is a non-canon novel of Vergil being 'Gilver' and his face is wrapped up in bandages so this is how I imagined him for this story.

Anyhoo I thought I'd try a different kind of narrative, it starts off first person but I thought I'd jumble a bit of the tense around and go back to third POV. I hope it doesn't confuse anyone.

Disclaimer: Don't own DMC or Vergil, I wish I did though because he is bagfuls of hotness and is so smexy. Mm. Sexy. Yum yum yum. Enjoy! (PS lyrics from Vengeance by Zack Hemsey)

* * *

_Before I die alone_

_Let me have vengeance_

_Before I die alone_

_Before my time has gone_

_There's just one thing I have to do_

...

...

In my lifetime, I came across two interesting men; twins with hair as white as snow; one dressed in blue, one dressed in red. Their names were Dante and Vergil, and I had the pleasure of meeting the eldest twin, Vergil whilst the youngest one I couldn't really seem to get a hold of. No matter how many times I went to his shop, just to drop by for a visit, I never saw hair or hide of him. He had a bad habit of never keeping his front door locked but it seemed he never bothered to challenge potential burglars for nothing remotely valuable was in his lodgings save for that old dusty jukebox, perhaps. Furthermore, sometimes when I went, I would see one or the two ladies, both beautiful and tall and slender. One blond, one dark-haired. Like myself, the two ladies appeared to have a hard time reaching Dante, too.

Alas, I digress; I shall concentrate fully on the lesser known twin. No-one really knew much about him. He seemingly perished a long time ago and was believed to be dead and Dante had spent a lengthy period in grief. How wrong he was, for Vergil had been alive and well, albeit in Hell. Allegedly bound to serve the demon king, Vergil's punishment was to be tortured for eternity – now here is where my knowledge is limited but from my brief, minor interactions with the twin (as he is hardly the conversationalist), I had discovered that Vergil had spent years chained and in shackles, to be burned repeatedly by Hellfire that would come at sporadic periods of time. When his wounds would gradually heal due to Sparda's blood stirring deep within him, he would be burned again, in the same manner in which the titan from Greek mythology who gave fire to humans was then subsequently punished by the Gods to have his liver ripped out only to have it regrown so it could be torn out everyday.

I suppose punishment as such was enough for an ordinary man to lose his mind but Vergil was not ordinary. No, I think that word would be insulting to him. He was an anomalous but respectable fellow; quiet in nature, his expression a blank canvas. When I met him his appearance was very haggard and frightening; he didn't mean to appear to me that way, he just did.

Apparently it went a bit like this...

One dark stormy night when the moon was full and the bitter wind was howling from the north, Vergil came to a Demon of Gluttony, demanding to request his seer service. This was no ordinary Gluttony Demon, no this was some gigantic monster that lurked in a cave surrounded by flesh and bones and books. Apparently whilst the damned creature chewed on brains and drank bile, it studied. It was a scholar. A hermit. And it could see the future, too. I know how wrong that sounds, and the fact that Vergil has 'friends' in such unusual places scares me. But anyway, the Gluttony Demon had little option and little to give in return for Vergil threatened to end his life there and then.

Fearing for his pathetic life, the demon offered his help.

"How did you find me?" asked the Glutton. There he sat on his cavern floor, surrounded by scripts and writings and numerous lit candles. Grease and fat dribbled from his chin, a shining oil stain of colors only visible under the dim light. No-one would have been able to find this glutton except from weary and lost hikers in the mountains who he then feasted and chewed upon.

"Simple." said Vergil, "I followed the unbearable stench of blood and guts."

The demon hissed and screeched at him indifferently.

"I have little time for small talk." came Vergil's curt response. He began pacing the floor of this cave of flesh, his charred coat tails flailing amongst his powerful strides before he finally took a seat opposite the demon, carefully avoiding the decaying skull and ribcage of his previous meal, "...I came across the most peculiar scent. I want to know what it is."

"Scent?"

"Yes."

"And you want to know what it is?"

"Yes. Must I repeat myself."

"...And it's not food?" The glutton suggested.

"Varmint. Do you think of anything else but your next meal? Do you even think it wise to foolishly continue with this disrespect when I can easily end your pitiful life?"

"Alright, alright. But...why are you so curious?"

Vergil remained silent.

With a sigh, the Glutton demon nodded, understanding the half devil's predicament and his demands. "Very well. I shall see into it for you if it is troubling you so much. Just a second."

Vergil waited with remarkable patience whilst he gathered the right herbs and threw them into the pudgy pot of human bones beside him. He peered inquisitively and prodded and poked at the contents with a finger and once he began to make sense of the results, he returned to face Vergil with a crooning purr. "Ah. How interesting."

"What is it?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes. Tell me."

"_Human_." The bulbous demon uttered, his jaws flattened broadly with glee.

"It's a human?"

"Yes, but not just any human," Glutton closed his eyes and sniffed the leaves as hard as he could, inhaling raggedly before exhaling loudly. "It's your _mate_."

For a split second, under those hideous, putrid bandages draped around his head, those two crystal blue eyes blinked widely. "...Mate?"

Glutton nodded.

"Impossible!" Vergil affirmed angrily.

"How is it impossible? I had a mate too. But I ate her, because that's what my species do. I don't think it's the same for you though, so good for you. She'll be around for a long time."

"No." Vergil was quick to quip back as he immediately moved to stand, unsheathed Yamato and with one fluid motion of his wrist, he had pressed the lithe cool blade against the demon's thick, veiny neck, the steel glimmering from the candlelight in the cave. "Now tell me the truth or else."

"It is the truth, Vergil." Glutton asserted, "My nose does not fail me. It's your mate. That's the scent that caught your interest. To you, because you've been held captive in Hell for so long...it has weakened you so you aren't able to detect it...but it's a faint scent, an itch that must be scratched... but you don't know what it is, and you can't see... like the faintest star in the sky. Hoho, but for me..it's like...the full moon in the darkest of all nights. This is natural. It's due to happen one day. It's destiny. Your other half. Your significant other. All demons are destined to have and seek out their potential – "

"No more of this." growled the half-devil; he appeared conflicted, angry and confused. How? How could this be?

"There is no cure, if that's what you're thinking of. Sooner or later, you'll succumb to it. It's nature, working it's course." The demon replied, "All your plans of power, all the scheming and the aspirations, you'll forget it all once you meet _her_."

Vergil remained cautious yet swathed with fury. The Glutton was certain there were many questions buzzing around in that brilliant ruthless young mind of his, but Vergil, who had appeared to be rather stunned by the demon's revelation, had finally regained control of himself and that wintry coldness of his returned to his eyes in seconds. "I refuse to partake in such foolishness. I have plans and they do not concern this...'mate'." He spat out.

"Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Glutton said, only to earn a rough grunt from Vergil. He cleared his throat loudly. "Ahem! Aren't you forgetting something?" And Vergil slowly threw a glance over his shoulder; the demon was grinning hungrily, patting his bulging stomach with his large, pudgy hands. "Where's my payment? I hope you've got a nice human child for me; female, if you have one. They don't fight as much and they're more tender and juicy in the ankles."

One silver eyebrow rose behind the bandaged face. "No. I did not bring you food."

The demon dropped its grin at the thought. No food. A dark thought then crossed the demon's mind. Should he try to eat one of the Sons of Sparda? Yes, yes, he should. Ingesting him would mean getting his powers too. He would have a meal and he would be much, much stronger. Killing two birds with one stone. Chuckling with glee to himself, the demon twiddled his fingers together before attempting a fierce lunge at the man as he stood with his back to him.

However, before Gluttony could even reach him, Vergil sheathed his sword and the twisted grin on the demon's face slowly drooped, sagging sullenly before his head completely lobbed off, having been severed at the neck in seconds. That was not all; the demon's body promptly fell apart, sliced in two. The two halves flopped to the ground, motionless. The head rolled a distance away beside a large pile of human and animal bones. Its fingers were still twitching. Before darkness took over the Glutton could see the cool steel blade of the Yamato glimmering under the candlelight, drenched in blood.

"Hehehe...heh...She's not safe anymore..." The glutton chuckled with its last dying breath, before its large and beady, soulless eyes went glassy and blank.

Vergil spun his blade expertly and the blood slipped off the length and onto the walls of the cave, slathering the walls with a thin strip of blood. Then he left, silently. He trekked down the treacherous slope, unfazed by the icy storm yet still mentally debating the Glutton's words. "Mate." He uttered to himself, before he let out a derisory grunt under his breath. "How ludicrous."

He proceeded to venture forth into the blizzard on his lonesome.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

A girl looked up from her book to stare outside the window of her room.

She thought she had heard a noise, a faint whisper, a hushed murmur. It had come from outside. She proceeded to sit up in her seat before she wandered over to her door. Opening it, she saw no-one at the door and stepped out, standing in the middle of the empty hallway, a long stretch of corridor, staring at all the closed doors before her. Above, a moth zoomed circles around the dim lightbulb.

"...Hello?" She said, but there was no response.

With an inward shrug, she turned round only to come face to face with a pair of glowing amber eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi again! Thanks to those who reviewed and faved/alerted this fic. Yay for chapter 2 :) Compared to my DmC fic, which is romance/humor/general, this chapter and story is pretty dark/morbid. And I've made Vergil a bit sadistic too...

**Warning: Torture scenes. Graphical violence.**

* * *

_"To succeed in life, you need two things:_

_Ignorance and confidence."_

_..._

_..._

Before him stood a large keep made entirely out of stone.

He had finally arrived.

Silence greeted him. Brushing the build up of snow off his shoulders, he made one step forwards, his boot crunching over a pile of human bones that littered the grounds. Unfazed by all the death and decay that surrounded him, he opened the doors and they gave a creak a low creak from long disuse. A doorway at the very end of the large hall was his next destination; he continued, ignoring the cobwebs that lurked in the low ceiling of the passageway and the chilling breeze that brushed over his hair.

He entered a room filled with numerous badly decomposed corpses and suddenly, the panel beneath his left foot went under and a flurry of steel arrows from secret mechanisms embedded deep within the walls came shooting out from all sorts of directions. He expertly avoided them with a nimble twist and turn, missing them entirely. Those that came too close and he slashed them in half with Yamato. The arrows, having missed their target, flopped uselessly against the walls and crumpled to the floor. With one brow raised, he exited that room and ventured deeper.

As he went further and further, he finally came across the first set of demons and pieced together that the initial traps were to deter humans. Those who passed the first round would not definitely pass this and would certainly not proceed any further into the tomb. But Vergil could. With neither a smirk nor a frown, Vergil unsheathed Yamato and the creatures lunged at him with their ghoulish weapons and he was about to attack one when suddenly -

**_Help! Help me!_**

A female's voice.

Temporarily distracted, he was thrown off guard for a brief second and he stood, dazed. His instincts immediately went haywire - he shouldn't be here. He should be somewhere else. He sensed...trouble. Vergil shook his head fiercely to shake off the bizarre sensation, but as soon as he regained his composure, he spotted a demon about to slash at him with its scythe; he dodged, the demonic blade tearing off a section of loose bandages from his head. They made another vicious lunge at him again but this time he dodged, leaping away from danger before landing a distance behind the group in a low crouch with Yamato in hand. All the demons froze, at a standstill before they all exploded into fountains of blood and ultimately slid to the ground, one by one, defeated.

"Hmph. Hardly a challenge." He uttered, as he returned Yamato to its sheath and walked up to the door. Yamato had served him well for so many years yet it hadn't shown any signs of wear and tear. A godsend for sure. He stood still for a moment, waiting. There were no more strange, disembodied voices.

Despite being devoid of humans, the torches that were affixed to the narrow stone passageway were lit and served as his only means of light. He traveled further and further into the crypt, dispatching more demons that emerged to anticipate the trespasser and evading other traps until he eventually came to a stop - a statue of a massive dog-headed demon with a lion's body stood at one side of a great door that was elaborately painted in gold and ruby.

He moved, passing the statue - suddenly its blank eyes shifted onto his form - and immediately the great stone guardian broke out from its rocky confines and landed before him, making the ground beneath tremble violently.

"_Who disturbs my Master's tomb?_" bellowed the demon.

"I am Vergil. Son of Sparda." He declared calmly, "You dare to stand in my way?"

The demon, with careful hesitation, finally backed away in a respectful bow. "_My apologies, young master...I failed to recognize you_."

With a nod, he stalked past the creature who shifted back into its rocky pillar, becoming one with the stone wall. Upon approach, he realized there was no handle on the door but once he placed his hand lightly on it, it opened to reveal a gargantuan chamber and he smirked. Inside were many mountains and mountains of riches that bathed its walls and ceiling in a golden glow, contrasting heavily with the tomb's graying and dilapidated exterior. He strode past all the coins and the jewels and found what he was looking for: a rusty old compass that sat dejectedly amongst a pile of ivory elephant tusks.

"I need more power." He said, as he held the tiny trinket in his palm. "Show me where I can find it."

And suddenly the compass shook, trembling violently. The dial, which had once been still for centuries, spun round and round fiercely until it pointed firmly to north.

* * *

The doors to Devil May Cry burst open and a young woman stormed in, her boots echoing loudly with each impatient step. She wore a loose white shirt that was unbuttoned to reveal a makeshift protective vest underneath along with a plaid skirt and belt that had guns of various sizes swinging around loosely.

"Dante!" She barked.

The man sitting at the only desk in the shop jerked out of his sleep, the magazine falling off his face and onto the floor. "Huh? What? Oh. It's you." He mumbled as he scrubbed his unshaven face with his large gloved palm.

She came to a stop behind his desk, arms crossed. "_Yes_. It's me. And – "

He caught sight of the additional presence – a well-dressed middle-aged man who glanced around the shop curiously who stood limply at the doorway. "Whoa!" Dante exclaimed, sitting up properly in his seat to rest his elbow over the surface, "And you brought your boyfie with you this time! Awesome! Congrats, you did it! You finally got laid!"

Lady slammed her fist over the table with frustration. "Will you cut your lame-ass bullshit crap and listen!"

"Alright, alright, I'm all ears." Dante said jovially, picking up his magazine off the floor and placing it over his dusty desk.

"A girl has been – "

Before Lady could finish her sentence, the man finally joined her side and said, "A child from our convent has been kidnapped by a demon."

A silence spawned.

Lady turned to him, then to Dante. "...What he said."

Dante raised a brow before rubbing at his chin. "Hold on a sec." He carefully studied the man from head to toe.

Before he could say anything, Lady added: "He's a priest, Dante. Father Johnstone."

"Uh...huh."

And Lady let out a scoff. "I know what you're gonna say – the reason why I'm giving you this job is because not only do I feel sorry for you after you got dumped by your fifteenth girlfriend who left you swimming in debt after her maniacal shopping sprees, but you also owe me four months worth of cash."

He let out a yawn, "I said I was gonna pay ya next week."

And Lady was unamused. "Right. Listen, when dollar bills start shooting out of your ass that's when I'll believe you."

Turning to the priest, Dante let out a grunt. "Can you believe this lady?"

"Shut up. You have no say in this." She barked, as the priest remained silent. "You still haven't paid off all those pizzas you ordered last week either – "

"Hey, you ate some too – "

"Excuse me." The priest beside Lady cleared his throat loudly, effectively stopping the bickering pair. "You are the Demon Hunter, Dante?"

"Yep. Hey...what's with that look?"

The priest watched Dante carefully, then nodded to himself. "And I am to trust you to bring her, unharmed?"

_It's a 'her' huh?_ He drawled out lazily, "How long has it been since she went missing?"

"It's already been three days."

"Got a picture?"

Father Johnstone nodded and dug a hand into the pocket of his coat and handed Dante a glossy print. He scrutinized the young, smiling woman in the photograph thoroughly. "I want her safe and sound. God knows why that monster took her." He said, "I saw it escaping with my own eyes; it is no ordinary creature for the demon set foot upon holy ground. I went to check up on her at the dormitory that night and I was greeted with a horrible sight – the most hideous creature stood with its back to me and the poor child was in its grasp. She was unconscious and when I yelled, it looked at me before it escaped, taking off into the night, never to be seen again. I can only pray for her safe return."

Turning to Lady, Dante said, "...Is this priest for real?"

* * *

She woke up again with a sharp gasp after a searing hot pain stabbed into her back. Alarmed, she stared wide-eyed at the iron poker which had been rammed over her flesh.

"Wake up." snarled the inhuman creature before her, "Master did not give you permission to sleep."

She let out a wail at the unbearable pain. "...Wh...what..." She croaked out as she trembled and shivered; she was lying on her stomach on a rock hard surface, her ankles and wrists in shackles. Where the light could not reach, a pair of glowing amber eyes stared at her within the darkness – she knew it was the same creature that had taken her away from her dormitory that night.

"And Master did not give you permission to talk. Talk again and I will cut your tongue out."

Quivering, she could do nothing but comply as she was yanked off the pillar of rock and she was forced to sit down in a wooden chair; once her back hit the seat she screamed in agony at the contact. The creature hobbled to one side of the room and placed the metal rod on the floor; it was not alone, another creature was there, busying itself in preparing the next torture weapon – which turned out to be a stake and hammer. She didn't even know what they were – both of the creatures before her resembled overgrown lizards that stood over six feet – they were humanoid, prowling around on their two chunky hind legs and bulky, spiked tails sweeping at the dust at the ground. They wore human clothes, consisting of a waistcoat and a scarf tied around their necks.

"...Let me go...I don't know what you want...Why are you...doing this?"

Chortling, the lizard ignored her desperate pleas. In the mean time, lizard demon number two went up to her. "Because, a mate screaming for help will attract the other to come to its rescue immediately. Haven't you heard? Vergil's escaped from Hell, escaped from Mundus' clutches. It's thrown the entire demon world into chaos. As if having one Son of Sparda on the loose isn't bad enough, now we have two."

"W-what...are you...talking about...? I...don't...know anyone...called Vergil..." She croaked out, her voice was hoarse and dry; how long had she been here? Hours? Days? Weeks? She had no idea.

The lizard continued to chuckle. "This is fun. Mayhaps I shall keep a human as a pet in the future..." Breathing heavily, she squeezed her eyes shut and a tear dripped from the corner of her eye and down her cheek. A mournful sob escaped her lips as she watched the demon with the small metal stake and hammer slowly made its way towards her with a wide grin on its face. "It's a shame that humans do not have such tolerance towards pain as demons do." The creature said, and it began to neatly wedge the pointed tip of the stake between her flesh and nail.

"Please..._stop._..don't do this..."

"When Vergil comes for you, _**if **_he comes for you...then we shall stop."

She let out a piercing scream when the demon plunged the stake into her.

...

He stood silently, staring at the compass which was now pointing rigidly to the derelict building before him. No matter what direction he faced, the compass would point unyieldingly to this edifice.

_This is the source?_

_Here?_

_...but what is this place?_

Suddenly, a faint scream could be heard emitting from within and he cocked a brow in response. The lingering stench of demons was strong and he deduced that this was a demon nest. Why would the compass show him to a place like this? What was within this lair? With Yamato at the ready, he entered silently but it seemed his presence was unnoticed. Hordes of demons came pouring out, having anticipated his arrival. He killed them off quickly and quietly. Perhaps the compass was right after all; maybe there was something here. What would he discover?

Another scream garnered much interest, although he wasn't too sure why. His feet carried him without fail and eventually, after having slaughtered a dozen or so creatures, he arrived at what appeared to be a cellar. There, a lizard-like demon stood with a human hostage in its grip, a girl who was covered entirely all over in blood and fresh burns.

"So you did come after all." hissed the demon, as it scanned his form from head to toe, staring at the bandages, the tarnished blue coat, the scarred face and hands, before erupting into thick laughter. "This is the Son of Sparda?!"

"Who are you?" Vergil demanded. The compass in his pocket began quivering even harder as though it was reacting to something.

"If you are wise and value her life, hand over the Yamato in return."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"You do not recognize her, Vergil? She is your mate."

That took him off guard. However, he did not show it. His face carrying naught but a blank but dark expression, his gaze landed onto the simpering girl, her eyes squeezed shut. Vergil snarled, "Do what you like; I don't care."

"What?! But she – this girl, she is – I'll kill her! I'll **kill **her before your very eyes!"

_"Then do it."_

In a fit of rage, the demon slashed his claws across one side of her neck and she dropped to the floor in a spray of blood. Abandoning the hostage, the demon attempted to pounce on Vergil; however, the half-devil was quicker, using Yamato to shred him into pieces and as the demon screamed and wasted away, he stood still amongst the slaughter. Sensing nothing else of particular interest within the building, Vergil frowned and promptly protruded the compass from his pocket – to his dismay and disappointment, it was still pointing rigidly in one single direction.

_Useless._

He had the urge to throw the darned thing against the wall or slice it up with Yamato until he heard the faint rasping, whimpering noises.

Vergil slowly turned.

The girl.

She was lying on the ground, helpless. There was a lot of blood pooling from the side of her neck, staining her hair and seeping into the floorboards beneath her. Her eyes were glassy, her gaze fixated at the ceiling as she continued trembling, emitting incomprehensible gurgling and sympathetic squeaking noises. Could she see him? Did she even know what was going on? From her gaunt appearance, it was easy to discern that she'd been tortured extensively prior. How she was still alive was a miracle. If she received no treatment, she would die. The compass in his hand then shook aggressively. Glancing at the dial, it dawned to him that it was pointing at _her_.

_Mate_, he thought, recalling the Glutton's words and what the lizard demon had said to him, but then he shook his head. _No, this cannot be. The demon is wrong._ _There is no such thing. _

He frowned promptly, eyebrows knitting fiercely behind the bandages.

_Even if she is my mate, I shall end her life. She will not be my bane. I have no weakness._

Unsheathing Yamato, he pointed it at her direction and as he neared, he raised the blade - and she turned slightly, blue eyes meeting green.

He hesitated.

For once in his life, Vergil contemplated twice about dealing the killing blow.

* * *

**Note:**

So Vergil pretty much OHKO's everything in this story lol. I was quite uncomfortable writing the torture scenes - not only did they burn her but they also denailed her - denailing was quite popular, I think in both historic and modern era, where they remove the victim nails either by forcible extraction or by wedging stakes in between the nail and flesh. It's not nice to think about... -shudders-


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone; thank you SirenaLoreley, the Guest and SoNotYourAverageGirl for the reviews and favs/alerts. I'm kinda writing this with no plan by the way ehehe...but I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Happy Valentine's Day everyone :)

* * *

_"To love or have loved, that is enough. _

_Ask nothing further. _

_There is no other pearl to be found in the dark folds of life."_

_..._

_..._

Detective Dante was hard at work.

He arrived at the scene of the crime – the convent – and ignoring some shocked looks from the resident nuns and priests as he barged through the doors and into the main hall, he proceeded to go into the room of the victim. Her room was a mess. A struggle may have ensued. Fair enough, it looked like a break-in had occurred. Only her room was destroyed, no other room in the establishment had been touched. Her window was broken, the curtains billowing in the cool breeze. Some items had been pushed off the desk and onto the floor. A snagged piece of shirt was caught in one of the broken shards of glass stuck to the window pane. But something still didn't add up – how does a demon enter holy ground?

Meanwhile, Priest Johnstone watched him as he inspected every nook and cranny of the room. "Well, Mr Dante, what do you think?"

Dante ran a finger along the surface of her desk, gathering up a thin layer of dust. "What protective barriers do you put up around here?"

"The usual – wards are set up all over the convent, and underneath the dormitory, holy water runs through the central plumbing."

He shook his head, wiping his gloved hands. "Yet our demon still managed to break in. It must – " A few girls from the dormitory walked past, giggling and whispering to each other as they ogled him. With a grin, he winked at them mischievously, "Hey, babes." Turning to Johnstone: " - be no ordinary demon, definitely not a Lesser one. Or maybe it's not even a demon. There are other girls her age who live here, right? Why did it take her and not anyone else?"

Johnstone blinked owlishly at him. "I...er...I'm not sure. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Did anything strange happen the night before she disappeared? Was she acting weird? Did you notice anything different?"

"No...She was the usual. We didn't suspect anything out of the ordinary. Usually if there are any problems, she would tell; she is very vocal about things that upset or worry her."

He rubbed at his chin in thought. _But the demon specifically targeted this girl. Why her?_ "Right." He said, picking up the snagged piece of shirt. "Well, there's nothing else here. I better get going."

"Where to, Mr Dante?" Johnstone asked, "There are no leads."

"Then I gotta find one."

"How?"

He grinned. "I'll probably start with a demon, beat the shit out of it, and hopefully get some answers."

* * *

Vergil waited outside with his blade in his lap. He had been inspecting the scabbard when the door slid open and a withered old lady dressed in rags with bloodshot eyes and long, snowy-white hair hobbled out. Once she caught sight of Vergil, she appeared surprised by his presence.

"Interesting. You keep telling me you don't care but you're still here." She said; like her haggard appearance, her voice was croaky and hoarse. Vergil showed no intention to reply which garnered a wheezy chuckle from the old woman. "Well, she's okay now; she's stopped screaming and crying. She's worn herself out. What about you? You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"But your face - "

"I said I'm fine, Hag. Thank you for your concern."

"So, if you don't mind me asking...where were you? What happened?"

"Mundus." Vergil replied, "For as long as I can remember, I was under Mundus' influence. I was in Hell and I was burned everyday as my eternal punishment."

Hag shivered all over. "Yet you escaped. How?"

The half-devil threw his glance to the door. "A scent."

"A scent?"

"Yes, don't make me repeat myself. I dislike it."

"It was her, wasn't it?"

He flashed her a glower. "Don't speak as if you know the situation. I was aroused from my sleep by a peculiar scent and I was overcome with the most irresistible desire to break free from my confinements. So I did. I escaped. Mundus is aware."

"Now he's sent his demons after you."

"Yes."

"And after your mate, too."

"She is not my mate. There is no such thing."

"But it was strong enough to knock you out of Mundus' control. It was enough to bring you back. You remembered who you are. You remember everything."

"Yes, everything, and with it, I remember that I have unfinished business with the demon king, and with Dante. But the years have been unkind and I have found myself weaker than before; I need more power."

Hag sighed. "Vergil...don't you see?"

"What?"

"This is a second chance."

His eyes narrowed immediately. "Hmph."

"But if Mundus knows...everyone knows. He'll be wanting you back. They're after you, Vergil. You and your mate will be in danger."

"She is _not_ my mate." He snarled.

Hag watched him carefully, and suddenly, a loud crash emitting from the room had Hag scurrying back inside.

He rose to stand, holding Yamato firmly in hand as he followed the little old woman and entered the room after her, eyes settling onto the lone figure lying atop the bed. There was the human, his so-called 'mate'; she was a sight for sore eyes – layers and layers of bandages were wrapped around her head, neck, upper torso, arms, waist and legs. Beside her, a tray on the floor was filled to the brim with bloodstained cotton pieces along with a bowl lying on its side, having been the object to have caused the crash in the first instance. A thin blanket was draped over her body but she made no effort to tuck herself in properly.

"Oh dear, oh dear..." Hag was at her side, picking up the bowl of food that had been knocked over by accident; the girl itself appeared somewhat alarmed, her eyes were darting frantically but overall her gaze appeared unfocused and aimless. She didn't even seem to have noticed Hag; her green eyes glassy and empty. "It's okay, it's okay. It's just a bowl, no need to be scared."

"Human." He barked at the girl on the bed, but he elicited no successful reply; not even a twitch or a blink. "Human. You will respond when I address you."

The hag emitted a loud sigh. "She can't hear you. She's deaf." She said; turning to the girl, she waved a hand over those soulless green eyes. "And blind, too."

"What?" Vergil demanded. His brow creased immediately.

Inspecting the motionless girl for a few seconds, the hag shook her head helplessly. "This is incredibly strong dark magic. It's removed her senses; I can lift this curse, but I don't have all the ingredients."

"You speak as if you expect me to gather these for you?"

"She's your mate, Vergil." The hag said as she gently lifted up the girl's hand and immediately, the girl jerked slightly on the bed, wanting to retreat her hand. In an attempt to soothe her, the hag used one long bony finger to write something on her palm. Once she was finished, the hag turned her palm round and patted her reassuringly on the hand; the girl said nothing and glanced to the side miserably. The hag sighed again and said, "They've blinded her, burned her, broke almost every bone in her entire body and caused that wound on her neck. She's living in complete darkness and silence. Don't you feel anything?"

"So she cannot see, hear or move." Vergil said, "A pity, but I have plans, Hag."

The hag muttered something indiscernible under her breath in response to Vergil's comment, clutching the girl's limp hand in her withered claw. "What plans? Reuniting with your brother?"

"No."

Hag was surprised. "But Vergil, I thought you said - "

"My idiot brother will do naught but stand in my way. I have no patience for obstacles and this time...if he chooses to oppose me once more, I _will_ kill him."

With that, she shook her head sadly. "...What about your mate?"

"What about the human?"

"...Well, since you don't want anything to do with her...the least you could do is to return the poor girl to her family."

Vergil merely responded with his infamous stony glare.

However, before he could reply, the hag added, "Ah...but you don't know where she came from...or who she is, you don't know her name, her age...you don't even know if she has a family to return to."

"She may be deaf and blind but she isn't mute." snapped the half-devil, "Tell her to write down everything."

And the hag smiled a crooked smile. "I have a better idea: why don't _you_?"

Again, Vergil did not move from his spot although his stoic gaze was fixated on the limp girl on the bed. The hag let go of her hand and gestured for him to approach in a beckoning manner. He stiffened all over and turned away, refusing the invitation.

"What's the matter?" said Hag, "It's not like she can see what you look like or anything. You've nothing to fear."

His appearance had nothing to do with it. With a sneer, he retorted, "I have no desire to partake in such foolishness, Hag. Get her to write down everything or else." Releasing Yamato, he held the blade at the old woman's direction. She watched the unwavering blade that was mere inches from her nose and wrinkled her face with disgust.

"Are you threatening me? In my own home?" Getting up to stand, she lashed out at him with a speed like no other and his eyes widened at her agility despite her age; in a few moments, he swore he had been standing on his spot and suddenly they had swapped places. He felt a force on his back and realized it was the hag's doing, sending him stumbling closer towards the direction of the girl on the bed. Regaining his composure, he struck but the hag was already at the door, evading his attack by a fraction of a second. Scowling at him, she screamed, "I knew all those of years of servitude to Sparda would come back to bite me in the butt; even if you are his son, I've had it with you! I've come across many assholes aplenty in my lifetime but you really take the cake!"

With that, she slammed the door shut, the lock clicked, and Vergil was left in the room with the girl.

"Hag!" He roared. With a vicious swipe of Yamato, the blade went slashing down against the door of the hut but nothing happened. The door was undamaged. Stunned, he threw his glance to his blade and back.

And then he could hear the muffled voice behind the closed door. "You can try to break the door, the walls or my windows as much as you like, but no matter what you do, you won't be able to get out until I feel like it! Now be a good sport and look after your mate while I fetch my recipe book! Oh, and if you try to hurt her, I'll know and you'll never get what you want from me - you'll never know where your father left his secret weapon - you know, the other one, not the Force Edge!"

"Damn you!" He cursed, only to be met with harrowing cackling and retreating footsteps. He knew coming to see the witch doctor was a mistake. All those years of relentlessly finding and gaining the respect and trust of Sparda's old allies, and this maniacal witch doctor had to be on the list – she also had to be the only healer his father had known during his time in his existence who was willing to help both humans and demons; Hag had tended to Eva when she was pregnant, had been her midwife and all in all, was capable of doing the impossible - bringing the dead back to life, curing the most incurable diseases known to man...

A little moan caught his attention and he turned.

The girl was trying to sit up in bed; it seemed it was causing her lot of agony to perform such a simple task and he stilled, staring at her form as she tried to get up. As the blanket dropped to her lap, he blinked, realizing she wasn't exactly properly clothed except from the bandages wrapped around her chest. Vergil turned away from the sight, clearing his throat lightly. Although most of her burns were covered by the bandages, he saw it - the remaining of her intact skin was milky white and porcelain.

"Who's there?"

He hadn't heard her speaking before and for a moment, he lingered in his spot, unwilling to move. He heard more shifting and the tossing and turning of the blanket and then –

**_Thump!_**

Throwing a quick glimpse over his shoulder, he saw that she had fallen off the bed and was now blindly scouring the floor with her nail-less, bandaged hands, those empty green eyes staring blankly into space. "Owww..." She croaked, wincing. He recalled that Hag had said they had broken almost every bone in her body. Hag must have either blotted out the pain temporarily with a spell or potion since she didn't seem to be aware of her situation. She turned her head and her gaze landed at his direction but as though one was walking through thick fog, her sweeping gaze merely passed him as though he was naught but a shadow. She said, "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Again, Vergil did nothing.

He didn't want anything to do with this worthless little human girl. Indeed, he knew nothing of her, not her name, age or background. He preferred it that way and had no desire to know more about the little human. Exhaling gently, he placed Yamato atop the table in the middle of the room and sat down at one of the chairs. The room went quiet, as he liked. He would just need to wait until Hag decided to release whatever seal or spell she had cast on the room. He attempted to ponder his next move, his next plan of action until he could hear the little human struggling – and he glanced over, watching her futile attempts to get back onto the bed as she tried to lift herself up off the ground – only to no avail.

After a few moments of intense scrutiny of her repeated fail attempts to return to the bed (which was quite high up), Vergil finally lifted himself off the chair he was seated upon. He wanted peace and quiet but the girl was being noisy. He strode to her side and knelt down beside her; their faces were close to each other; immediately, he could discern that her pupils had vanished entirely and her eyes were a blank husk. She really couldn't see, after all. She stopped moving altogether, having sensed his presence and for what seemed like a long time, he stared at her, seeing his own reflection in the lukewarm green tone of her eyes.

"...Who are you?" She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "You're not Hag."

So the damned witch had even informed the girl of her name, too. He studied her features carefully but decided she was not out of the ordinary, and he reached over and scooped an arm around the small of her back and she gasped, startled, and tried to inch away. With a firm hand, he increased his grip on her to stop her struggles and proceeded to lift her up and off the floor with his other arm looped under the bend of her knees. She tensed all over in his arms and he deposited her on the bed, grabbing the blanket off the floor and handing it to her.

"Who are you?" She tried again.

He contemplated for a few seconds before slowly taking her hand. Her hand was very small in his and very, very warm. Her flesh was soft and tender. If he was not careful, his claw could tear through her skin. He forced himself to open up her palm as the contact was something he was not accustomed to. Never in his life did he think twice about touching a human let alone a female - and then he began tracing the tip of his finger over her palm carefully.

Once he'd finished, he let go and she retreated her hand, cradling it to herself. "...Vergil." She muttered to herself. "You're...Vergil."

...


	4. Chapter 4

Hi everyone; thank you SirenaLoreley, amatthews4847, Izanami, princess101 and the Guest for the reviews and anyone who fav/alert this fic. In answer to SirenaLoreley's question, this story takes place a few years after DMC1 after Dante has faced off Nelo Angelo and Mundus. Hope you enjoy this chapter too!

* * *

_"Form does not differ from emptiness,_

_emptiness does not differ from form._

_Form itself is emptiness, emptiness is form._

_So too are feeling, cognition, formation and consciousness__."_

...

...

There was a knock on the door.

"Yeeees?" said Hag's sing-song reply.

Vergil's stoic voice could be heard behind the door, muffled. "Unseal this door this instant; how long do you intend to keep me in here?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe when you've calmed down, become a bit more sincere, found some inner peace, and don't feel like killing the slightest thing that moves."

"Very well. I am calm, and sincere. Now remove this seal."

"You don't sound very calm or sincere."

There was a brief silence from Vergil's end until: "_Hag. Where are her clothes_?"

Hag put a hand to her wrinkly, hollowed cheek with mock wonder. "Hmm, that's a good question, Vergil. Oh where, oh where did I put her clothes? Let me think... Oh goodness, I can't seem to remember where I put them. Me old brain is failing me..." She turned to her side, lifted up a pair of folded denims and a sweater and settled them back down on the floor with a wide grin on her face.

"Hag!" came Vergil's enraged bellow from behind the closed door, and she cackled with laughter, feeding the fireplace with more withered ferns and twigs.

...

Hag removed the spell a few hours later.

Opening the door cautiously, she spotted Vergil calmly sitting at the table with one of her books about botany on the surface whilst the girl was lying on the bed, staring blankly into space. She was surprised; she thought he would've harmed the girl in some instance, but it appeared she was untouched. She passed Vergil on the table, limping on her walking stick and stopped by the girl, inspecting her.

"I did not touch hair nor hide of her, if that is what you are wondering." Vergil murmured as he carefully turned the page of the book; he didn't bother to look up when she hobbled further into the room with a bowl in one hand and a folded duvet under one arm and a pillow in the other, dumping them atop a counter.

"I'm glad and proud of you, Vergil."

"...Spare the compliment." came his dry response.

"Find anything intriguing?" She asked, gesturing to the book.

"No; there was nothing remotely useful that would assist me in any way when facing an adversary."

She ignored his comment, "I'll start working on a cure tomorrow. It's too late for you to be going outside and searching for ingredients at this hour anyway."

He scoffed in response. "You may have been my father's confidante, but that does not give you authority to lecture me or delegate – "

Hag was ignoring him altogether, taking the girl's hand to trace something on her palm, and when the girl nodded, indicating her consent, Hag smiled to herself. "Now, my dear, you're all skin and bones so I've cooked some nice oatmeal for you. It's full of yummy grainy goodness; it'll help you recover your strength in no time." Hag said; she moved to sit down in front of the girl with bowl in hand and grabbed a spoon, dunking it into the porridge mixture before lifting it up and nearing the girl's mouth. Despite the girl's inability to hear, she still uttered, "Say 'ah'."

The girl, sensing the heat from the warm food, opened her mouth and Hag slipped the spoon in. Hag seemed bemused as the girl chewed and swallowed, watching with delight. "Oh, you are so adorable. She reminds me of you and your brother when you were just babies."

His eyebrow rose, aware that the last sentence was aimed at him. "Tch."

"...She doesn't say much, does she?"

"I prefer her silence than your incessant warbling."

Hag grunted under her breath. "You're in needing for some serious etiquette lessons."

"This is an irrelevant conversation."

"Is it?"

"...I find my etiquette faultless. Yours on the other hand..."

"Oh, stop it." Hag grunted, having had enough of his verbal jibes. A few moments later and she put the bowl down. "Vergil?"

"What is it now?" He snapped.

"Do me a favor and take over for me." She muttered, slipping off the bed to stand, "I've just remembered that I've left some soup boiling and I need to quickly check up on it."

The request had clearly taken him aback, judging by the extent his eyes had widened, and he gazed at Hag with furrowed brows. Whilst Hag challenged him with an equally acquitted stare of her own, his eyes narrowed promptly and he was quick to quip back with a sharp rebuke of, "No."

"Vergil, you could learn something from this."

"Such as?"

"How to treat girls. They're sweet and fragile, delicate little creatures."

Evidently, he bristled all over. "This is absurd."

Yet Hag wandered over to his side and he found himself dumped with the bowl and spoon in hands. He glowered at her as fiercely as he could but Hag was quick to evacuate the room before he could protest, waddling through the corridor to the main hall where she had left her soup boiling. In her absence, he had the urge to throw the bowl to the ground but ultimately swerved his glance to the girl; she seemed confused by Hag's missing presence. Feed her? On Hag's behalf? How incongruous indeed. Rising from his seat; Vergil strode to the girl and with one eyebrow raised questioningly, he dumped the bowl of lukewarm oatmeal before her. Her little hand rest by her hip; his expression soured when he recalled that she wasn't exactly wearing any clothes, just bandages, and he didn't want to be any closer to her; at the moment, whilst their proximity was insufferable it was still tolerable. If he went any closer and he truly would allow his anger to surface.

Therefore, he hastily grabbed her hand and traced: _Feed yourself_. Then he guided her hands to the bowl and spoon and left her on her own.

Vergil returned to his chair, the legs scraping harshly against the floorboards to reflect his dampening mood. The room went silent until he heard her lifting the bowl and spoon. He cautiously flicked his gaze to the girl on the bed only to see that she now had food smothered over her mouth; it was not a pleasant sight but there she was, trying to feed herself as he had told her to, lifting the spoon to her lips in her shaking hand – she would keep missing until the second or third try hence accidentally getting grainy porridge on the corner of her lip or chin. Hag was right; she thoroughly reminded him of an infant.

"The soup's fine, everything's – " Hag returned to the room only to pause; she spotted the girl with the porridge all over her mouth and turned to Vergil, the culprit. Furious, she barked, "What is wrong with you?"

"The human has to learn to look after herself." He merely stated.

Hag shook her head in disappointment as she went to aid the girl, wiping her mouth clean with a cloth.

"Hag."

"Yes?"

"...Did they...do anything else to her? When she was captured?"

"What do you mean?" Hag asked, "Oh, wait, I understand."

The witch proceeded to sniff the atmosphere. Suddenly, Hag's old, beady eyes twinkled mischievously. Vergil waited curiously.

"Nope, she's still a virgin. You're in luck."

That took him off guard. Vergil could only muster a choked cough that had lodged itself in the back of his throat. He averted his gaze, eyebrows furrowing.

"Ahahaha!" Hag squealed with joy at his response, "You should see the look on your face! Oh my, is the great Vergil, Son of Sparda,_ blushing_?"

Without another word, Vergil turned and marched out of the room and into the corridor, leaving Hag doubling over with peals of laughter. Turning to the girl, Hag jabbed a finger at the direction of his retreating back, "He's hopeless; he may talk and act tough, but really, he's hopeless. He's a virgin too, I think. Ah, now I remember; they used to be quite popular with girls, but in the end they would like Dante a lot better because he never pushed them away or insulted them or threatened to slice them up with Yamato. Of course, it's not your fault, my dear. He's just too stubborn, a bit like his father, but you know...the wrong sort. I'm sure you and Vergil will grow very close. It will just...take some time," She added worryingly, "A_ lot_ of time."

She proceeded to let out a forlorn sigh under her breath. Watching Vergil and the girl reminded Hag of Sparda and Eva, in some way. She remembered Sparda and Eva in the beginning of their relationship, when they were young and both were still strangers, and to have witnessed them overcome that and to observe them grow closer and closer until they fell passionately in love with one another was the most wondrous moment in the world.

With that, Hag chortled to herself. "Oh, Sparda...if only you were here to see this. Perhaps you could actually talk some sense into him. I know deep down that he is a good person, but right now, his heart must be the size of a peanut or something."

* * *

**Later.**

He sat rigidly in his spot on the floor, cross-legged, the katana resting against one shoulder. Behind the bandages, his eyes were closed.

Outside, the wind battered against the walls of the shack and the fire in front of him crackled weakly, feasting upon dried roots and fern. The heat was welcoming, but it was still getting colder and colder by the minute. It had been a few hours and he had fallen asleep; now he had no idea where Hag was, whether she was still in the girl's room or if she had retired for the night; Vergil re-opened his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing with deep thought.

That human...the girl...was she truly his...mate?

The thought or possibility never occurred to him. What was the point in having one? Earthly ties to anyone or anything was unwise. Foolish. A demonstration of one's flaws. A brief act of weakness. An acceptance to show a sign _of_ weakness. Even the term 'mate' implied he was to mate with her at some point. The thought repulsed him, but he supposed she was not bad-looking and her scent...it was the same alluring scent that had piqued his interest when he was still in Hell, when the flames were scorching every fiber of his being, when all his senses were dulled and his weak to live was dwindling. The scent drove him out of his haze and Mundus' hold over him, and made him remember who he was, who he used to be. It made him remember that he was Vergil and not Nelo Angelo, that he was not Mundus' puppet... the scent made him remember that he had a brother out there... that he still had a purpose.

He thought it was a power source, something that would make him stronger and would be the key to his plan of vengeance. Maybe he should slice her open and let her bleed it out? Or perhaps there was another way to extract this 'power'?

His bandages were beginning to itch. It had been for a long while, but he ignored it. However, he could not deny it any longer. Time for the daily rinse. Rising to stand, Vergil quietly made his way out of the main room and into another room to the left. There was a small trough inside that contained some freshwater gathered by Hag and he stopped before it, placing Yamato gingerly on the table. Lifting his hands, he began to unravel his bandages from the back of his head, peeling them off his face, stripping it like an orange peel.

Once all bandages were removed, he stared at the frayed, gray flimsy material sitting in his palm, coated in his blood.

His reflection in the water revealed a grotesquely burned face staring back at him; one would not be able to determine the slightest hint of human facial feature except from those two burning blue eyes. Indeed, his visage was the stuff of nightmares for his skin was a sickly, brownish-green in color, oozing pus and covered in boils. He had no eyebrows, no lips, no ears. A thin line of white dotted the top of his head in small, weak patches; his hair struggling to grow. The monster before him simply did not resemble a human the slightest.

He looked more demon than human, yet he despised it.

Vergil soaked the bandages in the water, then grabbed a clean set that Hag had laid out for him in the corner and bandaged himself up as neatly as possible. Outside, he heard the howl of a wolf followed by a few shrill, inhuman cries. Hag lived in demon-infested territory and he wondered how safe this shack actually was. He contemplated to himself silently then found himself making his way to the girl's room, pushing open the door. She was fast asleep, huddled under the blanket. Hag was nowhere to be seen. How could she leave her like this, unprotected? Vergil walked up to the table and pulled out a chair, seated himself down. Then he crossed his arms again and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Meanwhile.**

"Here, demon, demon, demon...come out an' play. I promise I won't bite."

Dante casually waltzed through the disused path of the mysterious Deathwoods, a dense forest that was permanently shrouded in fog and home to an abundance of withering dead trees, adequately named due to an extraneous amount of demon activity and the lack of travelers who went in and made it out of maze-like woods, alive. True to his word, Dante had gone searching for a demon to interrogate; Priest Johnstone was recommended to stay at the convent from now on and not accompany Dante any further in his quest. He had been walking through the woods for some time now but had hardly come across a demon which he thought strange.

Scratching at his chin, he wondered if he should go and search by the river until a couple of demons suddenly manifested from a dark portal, ready to fight him. With a grin, Dante whipped out Ebony and Ivory but once they spotted him, the demons suddenly emitted shrill squeals of alarm and turned round, clambering back into their portals and promptly vanishing from sight. With guns at the ready but no targets, Dante's eyebrow rose in response.

"Hey, what gives?" He said, cocking his head to the side, "Something's not right here. You guys are usually all dying to get a piece of me. Why are you all running away?"

Something was definitely not right.

"Fine then, if you guys don't wanna party, then I'll just keep going." He proceeded to venture deeper into the woods.

Again, he came across no demons. It surprised him to a certain extent but perhaps he should enjoy the solitude, with no demons wanting to jump him at any moment. Dante continued to casually saunter down the beaten path until he realized the tree he had just passed looked very similar to the one he had walked past previously but the path was different. Scratching his head, he glanced around again then spotted a dark blob up ahead - a knapsack - and he picked it up. An old and frayed journal dropped out and onto the floor.

He picked it up and skimmed through the contents:

_June 17th. Sophia's cough keeps getting worse and there are strange markings appearing over her body. The doctors cannot find a cure and cannot provide an explanation to this but they believe she has been in contact with a creature of unholy origin and now there are rumors spreading in our town. I have decided to find the healer who lives past these dense woodlands and beyond the mountains. I have heard of her immortality and her ability to cure any illness; I just need to find a way out first..._

"Hm. Wonder how long this was." He muttered to himself, and suddenly some white, sticky fluff caught into his hair and he began pulling it off himself only to realize he'd walked right into a part of the forest drenched all over in the white stuff. It was almost a beautiful but eerie sight if he was not becoming entangled in it; the more he tried to free himself, the more he became stuck - shaking his fists, he freed himself from the webs, breaking it apart and tearing through only to get even stuck amongst thick hurdles of never-ending webbing. He took one final step forwards and suddenly the ground beneath him vanished; Dante found himself falling into a dark abyss before coming to a brief stop when his back landed on something sticky.

He lay spread-eagled with his arms and legs out; above him, a little circle of light indicated the entrance of the hole he'd fallen into. Glancing around, he saw a massive spider's web underneath him, and beneath the web, was complete darkness. Something was beside him, hitting against his shoulder. It was a skeleton, bundled up in a string of cobwebs. A chilling sight to see; Dante stared at its twisted mouth and its empty, drooping sockets.

"This is awkward." He murmured to himself; a few seconds later and he felt the web jiggling; something was approaching. He turned his head left and right until coming face to face with a beautiful woman dressed in black to his left.

She did not speak, emitting a strange clicking noise, her beady red eyes landing on his form.

He ogled her in return, then grinned. "Hey, how you' doin'?"

She looked at him from head to toe, seemingly pleased with the sight. Before he knew it, she pursed her lips together and a white silk cord shot out from her mouth and she was wrapping him inside it.

"And that's disturbing," He was quick to comment. "Look, babe, as much as I wanna stick around and enjoy this party, I got a question for ya."

She ignored him, too busy wrapping him up in her web to reply.

"You know St Orsola's convent? A girl got nabbed. Know anything about it?"

The demon stopped for a moment, looked at him. He pondered if she was going to answer but then she detached the silk and then she grinned hungrily at him; her mouth splitting open so wide that her face had split into two neat halves; her mouth pulled back wide enough to reveal two sharp pincers that was dripping with a foul green substance.

"Uh...okay, maybe not." He replied, staring at the sight, and before he knew it, she sunk her jaws into his flesh but he merely blinked up into the darkness, unfazed. With a sigh, he said, "And as much as I like a gal on top, this isn't what I had in mind."

She pulled backwards and screeched, jaws dribbling with the gunk, "...Why is the toxin not working?" She hissed, her words mixed with the clicking noises from her pincers twitching together.

"I dunno. You tell me."

With a screech of annoyance, she dived for him. Dante immediately sprang up and broke free from his confines as if they were nothing, except the skeleton stuck beside him was still attached to a piece of web lodged fast onto his back; her eyes widening, the demon reared backwards and there he saw it; the face and upper torso of a beautiful woman...down below and her lower half was that of a spider, her body thick, hairy and rounded with eight spindly legs protruding and balancing on the web.

Standing before her, Dante raised his pistols. "I thought you'd be quite the catch, but you're just too damn disturbing. Sorry, babe, I don't have time to hang around."

"**_Die!_**" She screamed, lunging at him. He leapt, evading the attack, pulling the skeleton with him. He was too busy to notice. Pulling the trigger, he fired a flurry of shots at her. She screamed again and scurried away, the web jiggling violently. His bullets did hit something though, and there was sound of wet squishing and the spider demon was screaming again. "My babies! My beautiful children!" She was howling; only then he realized the entire surroundings was covered in spider egg sacs.

Unfortunately, he had to clutch onto one for support and when she flung herself at him again, he avoided once more and whipped out Rebellion from his back. With renewed vigor, she faced him and stabbed her fangs at him again. He batted her off and aimed a few well-timed slashes at her, slicing off one or two of her legs. Eventually, she went crashing down into the web, breaking through it. Tangled in her own webbing, she was shrieking as she fell into the seemingly endless abyss below.

"Well, that takes care of that." He made his way back to the entrance of the spider's nest and brushed off the last of the cobwebs from his shoulders; the skeleton also finally dropped off and onto the ground. He eyed it silently, then uttered, "Whoever you are...Rest in peace."

Suddenly, he heard a noise – there was a presence behind him - and Dante whipped round with his pistols in both hands only to come to a jarring halt.

A girl.

There was a girl before him.

His eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

She stared at Ebony and Ivory, then leveled her gaze to him. "...You found me."

However, as he took one step forwards, he staggered slightly before he noticed that he was trailing blood all over the ground. "Shit," He cursed under his breath, glancing at the wound on his chest which didn't appear to be healing. He remembered the toxin and his expression scrunched at the newly-found discomfort that was spreading across his chest like wildfire. "Fuck me, this is embarrassing." He groaned, before his eyelids began to droop.

Before he blacked out, he remembered seeing the girl pick the skeleton up and into her arms.

...


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone; thank you for the reviews and anyone who fav/alert this fic. I have a super duper long chapter today! Enjooooy! :)

* * *

_"Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster,_

_and if you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."_

...

...

A gargantuan statue of a man seated on a throne stood before them, the face blank and expressionless, gazing endlessly at the beautiful glass windows of the cathedral. The demons lay themselves on the marbled floor before it with their heads bowed, and a voice rumbled from deep within, making the ground tremble underneath the cowering demons.

"_Where is he?_"

The little demons were too scared to look up, "We don't know, Master."

"_Fools! Vergil is weak, yet still you come to me with nothing?_" snarled the voice, "_You have failed me again... I see no further use of you._"

"Master, no!" screamed the demons, but Mundus' wrath was past the point of return. The statue opened its mouth - a beautiful white glow erupted from within - and as the demons screamed for mercy, a brilliant beam of light hit them squarely in the chests, vanquishing them on the spot. From where their bodies once lay, several dark portals manifested and there was the sound of chains rustling; a group of humanoid demons encased in armor came crawling out with their weapons in their claws, the gaps between their armor emitting flames.

"_My loyal knights. See to it that you get this task done_," boomed the statue of Mundus, and the knights, upon recognition of their master's voice, lowered themselves to one knee, "_Bring Vergil to me. I want my slave back._"

...

Vergil awoke the next day, unaware that he'd even dozed off in the first place.

Vigilance, he thought. There was no time to rest. He was already a couple of days behind his mission in obtaining more power. How long would it be before Mundus would come after him? He clutched his sword and stood up in his seat immediately.

The room was bright and empty, the girl missing from the bed. The blanket was folded neatly and there were a strip of bandages lying atop a tray on the floor. Hag must've come in and tended to her early in the morning. He departed the room silently without further ado, clutching his blade to himself. He didn't see Hag in the main room and entered the kitchen; she was not there, either. He wondered whether she may have stepped out but as he passed one of the rooms, he saw the door ajar and stopped. The room was emitting thick clouds of steam; he could see a tub made out of bamboo in the middle of the room and the girl was seated inside with her hair damp and soggy and plastered to the sides of her face as Hag stood around the tub, sponging her off, being extra careful around the burns which appeared to be healing.

"Vergil!" Hag exclaimed, once she spotted him.

His eye twitched visibly and he turned away from the girl in the tub. He hadn't seen _much_.

Immediately, the witch hobbled over and the girl was left to clutch at the rims of the bathtub with those nail-less fingers of hers, glancing around meekly as she shivered and trembled like a cat fished out of a river; Hag went up to the door and stopped in front of him, blocking his view (not that he was staring, no). "Shoo shoo! Away with you! I know she's your mate but have some respect!"

He raised a brow. "Might I remind you that it was you yourself who kept the door conveniently open?"

She grimaced inwardly, "...I forgot you were the early one..." She grumbled before she shut the door and Vergil was left to stand by himself; he could hear Hag inside muttering and mumbling to herself. "Now, my dear, let's rinse you off."

With Vergil out of the picture, Hag continued to bathe the girl. Her burns had healed thanks to the medicinal salves and now it was only the deafblindness that needed to be cured. The girl sat limply in the bathtub and Hag proceeded to dump the bucket of hot water over her head and scrubbed and washed. When she was done, she held her out of the tub, dried her off and wrapped the towel around her tightly, then helped the girl outside; again, she was surprised to see Vergil sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. He was sitting with Yamato resting against his shoulder and he gave a fleeting look when Hag guided the girl by the wrist and they passed him; she wobbled on her bare legs, holding up the towel which was wrapped firmly around her body.

Vergil was watching her every move. The girl was taller than Hag a great deal; she had long thin legs, her exposed calves a perfect curve. Damp hair trailed over her back but he could see her angled shoulders; they looked smooth and shiny under the morning light. He narrowed his eyes, turning away. What was he doing? It dawned to him that he was assessing. Observing. Evaluating _her_. What for? A voice in his mind told him to cease this illogical behavior at once but he still found his gaze pinned and lingering on her retreating back.

...

Late afternoon, it was still bright and the sun was full outside, and Vergil exited the small hut to see Hag in her front porch, tending to a large boiling cauldron that was balancing atop the fireplace. The girl was nowhere to be seen inside the hut but now he saw her outside in Hag's flower fields, wading through the tall fauna which grew to a tremendous height thanks to Hag's supreme botany skills. They were so tall they went up to her neck and he could see her blindly making her way around albeit she had this smile on her face as though she was enjoying the breeze and the scent of the fauna.

"Vergil?" Hag said, and he broke out of his staring stupor.

"What?"

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

She sighed. "Let's try that again: Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Well, if you're going out, I have a list; I really don't want to send you to the Deathwoods because it's dangerous, but there are some herbs there - "

Hag paused in mid-sentence because Vergil had suddenly disappeared from her view; at first, she was confused and she contemplated whether he had truly left her premises, but when her gaze went to the field and she saw that the girl had wandered too far and was on the verge of falling off the steep cliff edge if Vergil hadn't suddenly teleported to her side.

He grabbed her and she went right up against him; going face to face, their noses almost touched; she was dangling off, Vergil's feet planted firmly on the cliff's edge. He stilled, the unwanted contact sending jolts down his system. This wouldn't be first time something like this had happened. Just like when he had to touch her hand or that time when he held her, he found his breaths going somewhat shallow, his eyes trained on her form. Her little fists were bunched up, trembling slightly. He heard her swallow down a shaky breath in her throat and those blank green eyes stared at him, hollow and lifeless.

"...U...um...Vergil?"

What happened in second appeared to take an eternity; as quickly as he had teleported to her side, he hastily returned to porch. He dropped the girl, retreating his arm and glancing away as though the contact and encounter had been burdensome on his behalf. Hag crouched down and helped her up; she looked undoubtedly shaken.

"Your irresponsibility knows no boundaries." Vergil growled at the old witch, "Keep her on a leash or else I will."

Hag frowned deeply. "That's no way to treat your mate."

Without another word, Vergil tore his gaze from the girl, to Hag, who watched him warily in return. Those two blue eyes gazed at her expressionlessly for a long while but then they slowly shifted to the field. Grabbing Yamato, he tightened the holster that was attached to his belt and adjusted his sword; he began to take his leave, striding towards the steps of the porch.

"Where are you going?" Hag asked, watching his every move.

"...You said you had a list." He murmured quietly, and with that, Hag smiled.

* * *

Dante awoke with a sharp groan, opening his eyes groggily to see the girl from before, staring at him inquisitively. She was kneeling by his side, head tilted slightly to the left. In her arms, she was holding the skeleton from before in her lap in a similar fashion that reminded him of a child with a teddy bear. "That's something I don't see often..." He uttered under his breath, before he attempted to rise from his lying position on the ground.

"Are you okay?" The girl said; she helped him up but he had recovered and didn't necessary require the additional assistance.

He cracked the muscles in his neck, rubbing at his shoulders. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's not everyday where I get saved by some skeleton ghost babe." Dante replied, proceeding to glance down at his chest where the wound had now cleared up and he no longer felt lethargic or weary. Turning to the girl, he added, "Huh, you did a pretty good job."

"It was repayment for finding me and getting me out of there."

"It was nuthin'." He replied, "Name's Dante. So, what happened to you?"

She threw her gaze to the ground next before glancing to the skeleton, hugging it tighter to herself and making the bones clatter against each other loudly, "...The spider." She muttered.

"Figures." He muttered, "And what's the last thing you remember?"

"Being cold and alone. Scared."

His expression softened a little following her revelation. He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out whether she had either starved to death, or had been devoured by the demon. "Well, she's history now, Bones, so you're free." Dante said, and she watched him as he jostled back onto his feet and checked if his weapons were intact – luckily they were – and he began to meander down the forest path, continuing his journey until he felt her presence lingering behind him. He turned to see that she was indeed trailing after him; she averted her gaze from the skeleton to him but said nothing. Dante crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"You're following me." He said; he clucked his tongue, winking at her, "Babe, don't make it a habit."

She gave him a lopsided look, "Actually I have a favor to ask of you."

"Such as?"

She lowered her gaze to the skeleton in her arms; how it was being held together and not falling apart, he assumed it was her powers. "Can you return my body to my home? I don't think they'll be there, but..."

He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm kinda in the middle of somethin', but yeah, alright, sure. Don't see why not."

"Ohhhh, thank you!" She gushed, swinging the skeleton around that the bones rattled. Creepy.

Dante nodded. "Good. So stay here 'til I come get ya, alright?"

"What?! No way! I _**died**_ here! I'm not staying in this horrible place any longer! I want out!"

"Alright, alright, fine. You wanna come with?"

"Yes."

"There's two things you need to know: number one, I'm a demon hunter - but you probably knew that already - Number two, in case you haven't noticed, you're a demon, so me and you aren't really a good mix." He said jovially with his arms out; before he turned and continued to saunter down the path. With that, Bones huffed. And despite Dante's warning, she continued trailing after him; he whipped round, "Bones, I wasn't - "

When he stopped, she cocked her head to the side. "What?"

He looked... stunned.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Can't be...this is...no way."

"I don't understand you."

"...My Vergil senses are tingling."

Bones looked at him, baffled. "I beg your pardon?"

"My Vergil senses are tingling." He murmured, "_My Vergil senses are tingling._"

"...I take it they don't tingle often?" She said flatly. "Who's Vergil?"

Again, there was no coherent response from the devil hunter. He seemed absorbed with something. At a loss, she looked at him exasperatedly until Dante turned and began to hurriedly make his way towards the exit of the forest. "Hey, wait up!" She yelled, "Wait for me!"

* * *

Vergil dispatched of the final demon and as the creature screamed and toppled to the ground, he swung the blade neatly, spraying the ground with blood, before returning it into its scabbard. Inspecting the list in hand, he then turned to the creature that was dead on the ground. Kneeling before it, Vergil reached forwards and plunged two fingers into one of the monster's eye sockets and pulled. With a twist, he yanked out the eyeball and placed it carefully into a glass jar before dropping the jar into the sack Hag had provided him with.

He mentally scored off the final ingredient from the list and stood up, staring at his bloodied fingers. That damn human girl was more trouble than she was worth; here he was, scouring the nearby woodlands and the foot of the mountain, searching, on a schoolboy's errand...

A noise brought him out of his thoughts and he whipped round; the atmosphere of the quiet and empty woodlands had suddenly turned heavy and foreboding all of a sudden. Sensing danger, Vergil's hand landed on the hilt of his blade once more as he glanced around the area, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the perimeter. He saw nothing but the trees within the forest. There was a chill in the air, the wind howling gently. The trees rustled, leaves bristling, causing dancing shadows on the ground.

Suddenly, a large chain with a hook attached to the end flew out from nowhere and he immediately batted it away before it could reach him; second later, a creature sprung out from the undergrowth and snapped its jaws at him; he evaded and it landed a distance away from him, causing the ground to tremble. The chain returned and the demon stood, clutching its weapon in hand.

The strange creature, which stood over him two feet or so, was a humanoid knight, donned in armor and a helmet that covered its face entirely. It carried the chain in one hand and the other held a shield engraved with a demonic grinning face. He knew immediately it was a demon, and he narrowed his eyes as it began to circle him, swinging the chain in one of its hands. Spitting flames emitted from the gaps of the helmet and armor, illuminating the demon's body in a brutal, orange glow.

_A Hell Knight_, Vergil thought. _Mundus._

"Son of Sparda." A deep, heavy voice erupted from behind the helmet, "We have come to take you; the demon king awaits."

"I refuse," He snarled, as he went eye-to-eye with the demon knight; he remembered that he'd fought one of these elite footsoldiers before when he escaped from hell. Vergil added, "I am no servant to Mundus."

"_Then die!_" bellowed the demon, swinging its chain at him.

He evaded; the demon altered its course and came at him again. Vergil drew out Yamato and jumped to avoid another attack, avoiding the grappling chain, and with a few expert slices, the demon came to a gradual stop, its arms and legs dropping to the ground, the earth trembling underneath its gargantuan size and weight.

Vergil landed a distance away behind it and silently sheathed his blade. He heard an ethereal shriek before the demon dissolved into darkness, sinking back into the earth. Vergil frowned; it was gone, but it was not dead. Suddenly, more portals began appearing, and he watched as large, dark creatures with glowing eyes and flames emitting from their terrible jaws came prowling out; the quiet forest was rife with their hungry snarls and growls. _Hellhounds_. Many were manifesting ahead of him and Vergil rushed forwards to anticipate them.

He disposed of them all, making his way towards the direction he had come from only to come across more hellhounds who all appeared to have on destination in mind – Hag's shack – and when he finally arrived, he saw that the shack was infested with the demon hounds; there were two on the roof, plunging their talons into the tiles and ripping them off, and one was trying to break down the door only to be repeatedly bounced back by the wards.

He could see Hag from the window, covered in blood and trying to fend off a demon that had managed to break in. "Vergil!" She screamed, catching sight of him from outside.

He hurried inside without further, killing the hellhound in his way with one timed strike to the neck. He entered the small hut – Hag looked extremely relieved to see him and with her staff in hand, began batting away the demon that had been her harassing her relentlessly. Vergil struck it down with one swipe of Yamato.

"Just in time. Well done." Hag said, a little breathlessly.

"Where is she?" He demanded.

"She's still in the – "

Without waiting for Hag to finish, Vergil stormed past her, ignoring the failing wards; now that he was here there was little need for the protective barrier. He entered the room without further ado to see the human on the bed, still asleep despite the chaos outside. It was slightly unsettling to bear witness to this, yet nevertheless he marched up to her and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her off the bed.

She woke up immediately, alarmed. "What the – ? Hag? Vergil?" She glanced around wildly but her eyes could not focus on him. She lived in silence and darkness, indeed.

He had no time to scribble down in her palm to explain the situation. Holding her by her wrist, he guided her out of the room, navigating through the tight corridors, batting away more hellhounds before they could get too close with Yamato in one hand whilst the other clutched her wrist. She seemed to have sensed something regardless of her lack of senses and allowed him to guide her, trailing after him wordlessly. Hag joined his side once he arrived in the main hall, fending off demons in the wake until they left the shack completely.

Panting, Hag wiped the sweat off her brow. "I'm too old for this."

"Are you harmed?"

She was surprised Vergil had asked her about her wellbeing, then glanced at her bloodstained clothes. "I've a few flesh wounds, but nothing serious." Glancing off further down the mountainside, they could see a horde of hellhounds rapidly making their way towards them from the horizon. "Well, this is just peachy. What do they want?"

"They're after me." Vergil muttered, "I'll draw their attention."

"What? But you can't – _Vergil_? Vergil, come back!" Hag exclaimed, as Vergil began to leave the premises with the girl in tow. "The woods!" She screamed after them, "You'll lose them in the woods!"

...

They were running.

He was holding her hand, which he assumed should have been an unflattering, highly detestable experience. However, he found that it was quite the opposite. Like the first time he held her hand, this time was also no different. It dawned to him that he was overwhelmed with a desire to _protect_. Disgusted with the newfound revelation, he desperately sought to abandon her right here and now. She kept tripping over, dropping to the ground many times only for him to tug at her wrist in an effort to get her to stand up again.

"Slow down. What's going on?" She asked, but he earnestly hadn't the time to give details. They were almost at the entrance of the forest. He thought twice if he should really listen to Hag since the woods looked so ominous.

He came to a jarring stop when the same Hell Knight from before manifested in front of him in a spectacular array of flames and darkness and she almost bumped into him from behind. Turning round, he saw another hell knight closing in on him, fast. To his right and left, there were hell knights flanking him too. They were surrounded. He ushered the girl behind him and moved into an offensive stance. His hand slowly slinked towards Yamato.

"You cannot escape." said the Hell Knight. "Surrender."

Vergil glared darkly at them. "_Never_."

When the first hell knight moved, he moved first; strategically placing the girl behind him, he twirled her around and away from the demon; the creature met his blade instead and he decapitated it in one fluid motion. He heard her utter a cry of terror; with no proper knowledge of what was going on but perhaps an idea, she automatically cowered, squatting down on her haunches and this enabled him to project a summoned sword into the belly of another knight that dared to harm them. The demons to his left and right, he decided to leave his position and meet them halfway; with Yamato ready, he slashed right through them, shredding into them like paper. They dropped to the ground, flames bursting forth endlessly from their mangled bodies.

To his chagrin, he saw one rising from where it had fallen. A chain-hook came flying at his direction, wrapping itself around his wrist, forcing him to abandon Yamato as it tightened around him. He let out a grunt, moving his wrist to free himself but to no avail. The chain went taut as the hell knight began reeling him towards it and he thrust his feet into the ground, gritting his teeth. Another knight began to get back up, its limb reattaching to its body before it flung its chain towards Vergil. He evaded, but this time the chain had a mind of its own and followed after him, wrapped around his other hand. His arms were pulled, outstretched.

"Nngh." Vergil growled; how very inconvenient.

A knight was too close for comfort; a glint appeared in the corner of his eye, and a barrage of summoned sword soared into its body in a circular fashion; unfazed, the demon continued to march towards him and this time, a chainhook pierced him on the shoulder; another plunged into his chest and he snarled. As the knights closed in on him, a large dark portal began to manifest underneath them and he found the ground evaporating, his feet sinking into darkness. They were dragging him back to hell.

Meanwhile, they had completely forgotten the girl who was glancing around helplessly, searching for him blindly. "Vergil? Vergil, where are you?" She found herself falling into the dark portal as well, her legs and arms sinking into the ground, "What's happening?"

Turning to the demons, his fists clinched.

He sucked in a breath through his nostrils, exhaling silently.

A ball of light enveloped his body and all the chains snapped in one single movement. The knights went flying off their feet and to the ground, broken chains flopping to the ground uselessly. There was a flash of light, a crackle of electricity. Suddenly the knights were being tossed into the air one by one, repeatedly attacked by the unseen assailant. Vergil was nowhere to be found. One hell knight got back up to stand only for a blue blur to juggle it high into the air before being pinned it to the ground, Yamato stabbing into its chest. To prevent it from respawning, the source was located – a red beating heart engulfed in flames, and the blue blur – now a reptilian humanoid with glowing green eyes, plunged its claw into the knights body and pulled it out. With beating heart in its grip, the demon squeezed it until it was no more than a mass of blood flowing freely. The knight screamed and the flames slowly died away, leaving behind a suit of empty armor that evaporated into darkness.

The rest of the knights shared the same fate and once the last was disposed of, there was another crackle of lightning and Vergil put away Yamato. He was breathing heavily; the devil trigger had exhausted him, which had him frowning deeply. This was no good. If he was to go up against Dante anytime soon, then he would not fare well.

_More power_, his mind said.

His gaze landed on the girl who was still groping unsuccessfully; her searching hands finally landed on his form and he stiffened once she grabbed at his shoulders. "Vergil? Is that you?" She asked; their faces were very close; it was rather suffocating and he immediately turned away. However, he forced himself to take her hand and traced a 'V' on her palm, accidentally getting some demon blood on her. She smiled faintly only to drop her smile once her hands came in contact with the blood. "You're hurt."

Vergil threw his glance down to his palm until a voice suddenly called out: "Looks like I missed the party as usual."

He turned.

A familiar man donned in red stood behind him, having emerged from the forest entrance.

_Dante._


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone. Many thanks for the lovely reviews, thank you SirenaLoreley, EphemeralDream8, Redgrave, DementoFantasy and roseimagine for reviewing! Oh wow! Thank you all for your lovely comments :)

Also I see this story is garnering lots of favs and alerts. I now have 18 favs and 24 alerts and we're at chapter 6 though I don't know who you are :( But thanks for the favs/alerts. Glad to see people are actually enjoying this fic :)

* * *

_"He fell silent. For several moments they all did, and the quiet had the feel of a deliberate thing. _

_Then Eddie said, "All right, we're back together again. What the hell do we do next?" _

_..._

_..._

He hadn't seen Dante for a long time.

The last time he did, he remembered he was Nelo Angelo, and they had battled on Mallet Island. Dante was the victor and he remembered retreating and being punished by Mundus for his failure. Dante had aged somewhat since their last encounter but his floppy and messy hairstyle persisted and so did his abhorrent taste in grotesquely bright red garb. Vergil couldn't comprehend why his twin brother indulged in eye-catching colors. Perhaps it was to draw enemy attention or to make a statement.

"You throwin' a little party again, Verge?" Dante said, in that aloof manner of his, "And here I am without an invitation as usual. That hurts, bro. That hurts."

"Dante." Vergil replied; an inaudible sigh escaped his lips as he left the girl's side to stand. He was well aware that Dante had a million questions running through that pea-sized brain of his but unfortunately the situation (in which both brothers hadn't seen each other for a number of years) meant the demon hunter was unable to sift through them all to ask the right one. He was sure that Dante wanted to know where Vergil had come from and where he'd been all those years.

However, the next thing to come out from Dante's mouth was: "What the hell?"

Vergil sighed again. Inwardly. "...Good to see you too, little brother." came his dry response.

Since birth and Vergil had always been aware he was the intelligent one. He was not boasting. It was a fact. How he could have such an imbecile for a brother was beyond him... Especially since they were twins. If they were meant to be twins, weren't they supposed to be the same? In terms of looks, yes. Personality, no. He was aware that his intellect was far superior to Dante's in many ways.

He knew exactly what kind of persona Dante was however – his imbecile, dim-witted brother was blessed with the attention span of a toad, but he was also happy-go-lucky and bestowed with the charm and the extroversion - he was always known as the _nice_ one whilst Vergil was the unapproachable one; he had no qualms about that. It was better not to be hassled by idiots unlike Dante who seemed to enjoy the company of abysmal fools. Whilst young Dante would throw his food around at the dinnertable, play with slingshots or come home covered in mud everyday, Vergil would immerse himself in culture and art.

Dante let out a scoff in return, "It's been a long time, Verge. I was thinking that I'd never see you again."

"I see your nostalgia persists. One day, that same sentimentality will destroy you."

"Are you serious? It's been a coupla years and this is all you got to say?" Dante huffed, pacing the ground restlessly, "What a reunion this turned out to be. You haven't changed at all; I thought you'd learned the first time – you're still throwing the same boring-as-shit party. No food, no drink, no guests, no babes. 'Cept these two." Turning to Bones, he said, "Actually, you probably don't count. No offense, y'know, cos you're dead."

The girl beside him let out a disgruntled noise from the back of her throat at his comment. "...Thank you, Dante. Thank you for reminding me ever so delicately of my demise. Just...thank you so much. So, so much."

"Yeah, well that's what I'm here for, and you're welcome." Dante replied - she didn't know if he was oblivious or being sarcastic - whilst Vergil watched the duo with a frown. He sensed a demonic aura from her. What was his brother doing with a demon by his side anyway? He didn't exactly find it surprising; Dante enjoyed being around women – human or demon. To Vergil, his little brother said, "Damn. You're lookin' good, Verge. I can see you're going for the whole Egyptian mummy look. Can't say you really suit it though. What happened to you anyway? it's like you stuck your head in a blender or somethin'. Y'know what, never mind." He gestured to the girl by Vergil's side, "I'll cut the sappiness and cut to the chase; she's coming with me."

Vergil's response was instantaneous. "Unlikely, brother."

"You took her, bro. That's not cool. She needs to go back; that priest what's-his-face wants her back home safe and sound."

"I was not the one responsible for taking her from her home." Vergil said calmly, and his hand slowly crept towards the hilt of Yamato, "But I won't be handing her over to you, either."

Dante raised a brow. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice, bro. Are you sure_ you're_ not the sentimental one?" He said, and he grinned when his remark elicited a growl from his twin. A brief silence spawned following Dante's comment until the devil hunter, for the first time since the conversation began, dropped his grin. "She's coming with me whether you like it or not; you see, I got a job to do."

"No." Vergil glowered at Dante behind the bandages, his eyes narrowing acutely. Leaving the girl's side, he moved to stand in a stance before Dante, hand on Yamato the entire time. Meanwhile, Dante stood around, dusting his palms off the sides of his trenchcoat whilst grinning.

"Um...Dante?" said Bones; she'd been quiet for most of the time, having decided to watch the conversation between the two brothers.

"Bones...you might wanna take a step back. It's gonna get pretty ugly. Trust me." Dante murmured, winking at her, and she began to inch backwards at his suggestion.

He focused on Vergil. Dante was the first to attack; not that he found it surprising. The older twin started off by slowly circling the perimeter of the area back and forth until Dante went sprinting towards him. Vergil raised a brow in response; it was always the same tactic. His little brother had always been impatient, itching to dive right into a fight, always wanting to get right into the heat of the battle. He was an easy target and easy to anticipate, and when Dante pulled out that greatsword of his, swinging it around like a baboon, Vergil swatted him away effortlessly with Yamato, the blades clashing against each other in a sleek sliver of silver. He had admired Rebellion in some way due to its uniqueness and thought it a shame that such a weapon would be handed to the careless hands of his brother. Nevertheless, Dante had done _one_ thing right in his life - at least he never let Rebellion out of his sight and he still had it with him.

When they sprang away from each other, Dante was firing at him with his two handguns. He never liked firearms. They revolted him. He unsheathed Yamato and twirled the blade in a circular motion, the blade was nothing but a blur and he deflected the bullets effortlessly. All that was heard was the ricocheting of gun shells smacking against steel and being sent to one direction – back at Dante – as expected, the devil hunter dodged with a well-timed leap to the side.

"Got anymore old tricks up your sleeve, bro?" Dante yelled, "Cos' I got plenty more from where that came from."

"Hmph. Even after all these years, you still fail to challenge me intellectually and physically." Vergil muttered.

"Yeah, I missed you too, Verge. I missed you too."

They closed in on each other again; Dante evaded all of Vergil's attacks although the older twin managed to slice through one of Dante's sleeves at one point, coaxing a whistle of appreciation from the devil hunter. "Not bad, bro." Dante remarked; he followed up with a dropkick at Vergil and although the older twin evaded, he suddenly felt a stab of pain searing through his body and he was immobile, unable to teleport. Dante's kick landed on his chest and he grunted. It must be when he unleashed his devil trigger; it must have drained all energy from him.

Clutching at his chest, Vergil stumbled backwards and dropped to one knee, stabbing Yamato into the ground to keep him hoisted up. The girl, having sensed his presence, began to search the ground for him and finally, her fingers grasped at his coat tails before they found his sleeve, her fingers wrapping around his arm.

"...Vergil?" She said, "Are you okay?"

He grunted again, throwing his glance at her firm hold on his sleeve. As though sensing his icy glare that was aimed at her, she slowly loosened her grip and then stared blankly at him. At least she was able to understand that her concern was unwanted and unnecessary.

However, she was suddenly lifted away from him and she was in Dante's arms. Immediately, she began panicking, floundering in the demon hunter's grip. Unused to anyone but Hag or Vergil since her deafblindness, the older twin could only muster a smirk as Dante struggled with her. At the same time he despised how his little brother had his arm around her waist. "Whoa, calm, calm! Babe! Chill out! What the heck is wrong with you? Babe?"

Abruptly, Vergil growled, "_Don't_ call her that."

Dante turned to him, ducking from her flying fist, "You say something, bro?"

"Unhand her, moron." The older twin snapped, pushing himself off his heels to stand; it seemed for now, the battle was forgotten. "Do not touch her. Let go. Now."

And Dante let go of her immediately as requested, "What's wrong with this chick?"

The one known as 'Bones' arrived by Dante's side and leaned over, inspecting the girl thoroughly, taking particular interest in her dull, glazed green eyes. "...She's been cursed, Dante."

"Huh?"

Vergil glowered at him. "I'll make it simple for you. The human is deaf and blind – "

"I know what Bones meant, I just – "

" - And you will not touch her and you will not address her by any of your uncouth nicknames. This woman is mine." Once Vergil had finished, he proceeded to guide the human out of Dante's arms to his side, his hand gripping her wrist – not too gently but also not enough to hurt her.

Dante watched the scene, rubbing at his chin. "Say, Verge, she's er..."

"She will not be leaving with you. We were devising a cure."

"Huh. I see." With that, Dante crossed his arms, "_We_?"

Vergil began to lead the girl away from the devil hunter. "Leave, Dante. I have no business with you any longer."

"Hey, didn't you hear a word I just said? She's my job, Verge! I've to take her back home!" Dante shouted after him.

Immediately, Vergil was quick to whirl around and he was about to unsheathe Yamato until -

"_Boys! Please!_"

He stopped in time: a small old lady was making her way towards them, limping on her walking stick. Whilst Dante stared at the newcomer, Bones' eyes widened thoroughly as Hag stopped by Vergil's side and inspected the girl, placing her wrinkly hands on her cheeks.

"Oh, the poor dear, look at her, you've frightened her. Shame on you!" Hag berated Vergil angrily and the older twin merely growled low in his throat; then she whipped round to Dante next and waved her cane at him, "Shame on you too! Shame on you both! What were you thinking? Fighting in the wilderness! She could've gotten hurt! Get her back to the hut, now. She's freezing."

Vergil merely aimed a cold look at the witch but said nothing. With the girl by his side, he began to guide her towards the direction of the mountains with a hand on the small of her back and his other hand wrapped around her wrist. Dante made on step forwards, deciding to interject at the retreating couple, "Hey!" He barked, but before he could go any further, Hag hobbled up to him and they went nose-to-chest. Raising a brow, he threw his glance down at her; Hag was considerably smaller than him in terms of height. "What? Why're you looking at me like that? Somethin' I can help you with?"

"Hmph! You haven't changed one bit!" exclaimed the old woman.

"What? What are you - " Pausing, Dante squinted his eyes, "...Do I know you?"

"Perhaps this will help." Hag proceeded to smack her cane over his head none too gently.

"OW! What the heck was...wait a minute. _Grams_?"

She snorted, nostrils widening, "...Took you long enough." She turned and began hobbling after Vergil and the girl. When she realized Dante was not following, she gestured to him with a tilt of her head, "Aren't you coming? I got cookies in the oven."

Dante continued staring wide-eyed, then started to chuckle loudly and found himself trailing after the group. "Yeah, I'm coming, grams. I'm coming..."

* * *

**Notes:**

Whoa!

First author's note at the end of a chapter :O I struggled slightly with this chapter. The quote at the beginning is from Stephen King, The Dark Tower. If you would like to know where I get some quotes you are welcome to ask. At the moment, you've probably noticed that the OCs really aren't the focal point of the story. In fact, Vergil's mate only had 1 line in this chapter. Poor girl lol.

I also decided not to write an overly-dramatic reunion between the brothers...it didn't seem like they would especially since in DMC3 Dante and Vergil had that kind of aloof reunion ingame so I just made it really calm and easygoing and I imagined it that way with Dante going "Yeah...its cool bro, even though I haven't seen you for so long and last time I saw you you tried to kill me...but its ok it's normal lol." XD


	7. Chapter 7

Hello :) Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad everyone likes the story so far despite the slo-mance. About Dante being portrayed as stupid, that's alright, I don't mind any constructive stuff. But Dante being stupid wasn't really my intention because this story is actually from Vergil's perspective so he thinks his brother as the not-so-intelligent one. And Dante serves as comic relief so I'll make him say some silly things now and then. If it gets too much or its poor taste you're welcome to let me know. As for the OC, I can't think of a name right now. Guess she'll just be known as 'the girl' for the time being :(

**Warnings:** **Strong language, some disturbing scenes, some M-rated stuff in this chapter** (but overall the story is not an M. Sorry for any OOC too)

* * *

_"I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger."_

_..._

_..._

Satisfied with the amount of cookie dough in his stomach that was enough to last him for one lifetime, Dante let out a belch and rubbed his belly which now appeared to be bulging somewhat. Oh whatever, he'd do a thousand press-ups later.

"Mmm. Granny's cookies..." He hummed under his breath with a lazy grin on his face. And there was something Dante didn't think he would say in a million years.

Whilst the girl he'd seen hanging around Vergil sat at the middle of the table, eating from her own plate of cookies, Hag took his empty plate and got up, shuffling to the sink. In process, she jabbed a wrinkled, bony finger behind her. "I got another batch waiting if you want anymore."

He pondered for a brief second or so; he was very full but he'd never pass up on an opportunity to eat Hag's homemade cookies. "Alright, lemme 'ave them," was his decision, as he rubbed his hands together, "I mean, someone's gonna have to eat them, right?"

Meanwhile, Vergil, who was seated opposite him whilst polishing his sword with a cloth, grunted sourly under his breath. "Hmph."

Dante glanced over, and grinned at his twin. "C'mon, lighten up, Verge. Here. Have a cookie." Dante took one from the pile in the middle of the table and waved it at him invitingly. "Your mate likes 'em." He said, gesturing to the girl who was now reaching for another biscuit.

Vergil murmured, "I have no desire to indulge in confectionery as such."

Dante let out a snort, returning the cookie to its plate and leaned backwards in his seat, rocking the back legs of the chair. "Sheesh, can't you talk like a normal person for once?"

And Vergil averted his gaze from his sword to his brother, "...You want me to degrade myself to appeal to your inferior intellect?"

"If you didn't want any you could've just said 'No'."

He shook his head, made a noise of mirth. "Yet insulting you was the better option."

Dante glanced at Hag next. "Grams?"

"Yes?"

"I bet Vergil's a grouchy, touchy moron all the time because he's never had one of your cookies. Or 'cos he's never been laid."

There was a silence; Hag made no comment in response to that. However, Vergil stood up in his seat in an eerily calm fashion, clutching Yamato at his side, fingers gripping the hilt tightly. "_Enough_, Dante."

Dante merely grinned in response. "Ooh, did I hit a nerve? Verge, you've brought a nice girl to see grams. I mean, that's somethin'. Hell, every girl I meet either wanna kill me or eat me alive."

Hag said, "What about that girl you were with earlier?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah..." Dante proceeded to glance around the dining table curiously, "She was here a minute ago. Bones? Bones, where'd ya go? Bones?"

In the meantime, Vergil replied, "That human is worthless."

Dante threw his glance to Vergil again. "Well, you seem reaaaaally attached to her and you seem to be in _denial_." Dante said, taunting his twin with a wide grin. It had always been easy aggravating his brother; Dante seemed to have a natural gift in doing so. He did it so effortlessly, so easily, like a natural doctrine. "Fine then, if you don't want her then maybe I will." Turning to the girl, he reached for her, "Even though she's blind and deaf, she's still pretty hot - "

Sensing the sudden murderous aura in the atmosphere, Dante stopped and retreated his arm, just in time to evade Vergil's assault by kicking the table legs and pushing himself to a safe distance when his twin unsheathed Yamato and brought it down – the dining table suffered and immediately split into neat halves – and Dante, who was still seated upon his chair, went skidding backwards until it came to a stop and rocked forwards. With both guns in hands, he aimed them at Vergil's direction.

"Geez, Vergil...violent, much?" He said, inspecting the remainder of the desiccated table, leaping off the chair to walk round it.

"Imbecile. This time you won't be so lucky." Vergil growled.

"Lady luck's always been on my side." He said, waving his gun in a beckoning manner, "C'mon! Let's dance."

Before either of the twins could move, Hag squeezed herself between them and held both arms out in a bid to stop them. "Boys! Boys, please!" She screeched furiously, "That is it! That's enough! No swords and guns at the dinnertable! What is wrong with you two?! Can't you both just sit down and have conversations without killing each other?"

"I guess not, no."

"Well, I have rules but if you want to kill each other then be my guest and go outside! But whilst you live under my house, under my care, you abide to my rules! So no fighting in the house, no swords, no guns, no teleporting, no Devil arms, no Devil Triggering and no fighting over girls – "

The younger twin shrugged. "I just said she was pretty hot."

There was a silence, with Vergil glowering at Dante, until the girl who was still sitting in her seat reached her hand out only to be grasping at thin air. Confused, she turned blindly and said, "What happened to the cookies?"

...

He decided not to ask where Vergi had been the entire time.

He didn't ask how he escaped from god-knows-where, or how he escaped from Mundus, or how he reverted to Normal Vergil and not Nelo Angelo Vergil. It wasn't that he didn't care, no, he was aware that no matter how many questions he would ask, his older twin would be reluctant to share or be cryptic in terms of response. Vergil was Vergil, and he hadn't changed one bit. Perhaps _one day_, Vergil would open up. Again, emphasis on the _one day_.

"It's good to see him though." Dante murmured to himself. He admitted he had missed his brother to an extent. He did cry at the loss all those years ago, "But what's with all those bandages around his head? Did he burn himself or somethin'?"

He wandered out of the hut to see a familiar girl seated at the edge of Hag's front porch, sniffling quietly to herself. All thoughts of Vergil promptly vanished there and then.

"Bones, there you are. I was looking all over for ya. You missed the cookies." In one great stride, he reached her and sat down beside her with a loud 'thump'. When he noticed that she was crying, he said, "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

"N-nothing." She squeaked, still sobbing and weeping to herself. She lifted a hand and scrubbed at the corner of her eyes, determined not to let him see her tears.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "...Uh-huh..."

"You don't look okay to me." He said, "It's grams, isn't it? I read your journal. Your sister, right? That's why you were there in the woods."

"Oh." She squeaked, before she nodded limply and turned away from him dejectedly. With that, Dante settled his large palm atop her head and ruffled her hair. However, this only served to cause the demon to cry even harder.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's okay; everything's gonna be okay. You'll see. It's not that bad, hm?"

She stopped crying for a moment, sniffling, "...You don't understand, Dante."

He uttered under his breath, "Bones, we'll find your family, alright? I'll take you home and you'll be at peace. So there's no need to be upset."

"...Really?"

"Yeah, really."

She bit down on her bottom lip, "...Thank you, Dante. For...trying to cheer me up."

"You're welcome, Bones." He said, before he rubbed at his chin in thought, "Hm...I probably shouldn't call you 'Bones' anymore if it, er...makes ya sad. What's your name?"

"That's okay. You can call me _Bones_. I don't mind."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're really okay with me calling you 'Bones' from now on? I'll make up all these nicknames for you, like Boney, Boney-Longstocking, Boney-Bo-Peep, Jon-Bone-Jovi."

Her expression soured. "Those are just dumb. Just 'Bones', okay?"

"Bones it is then."

"Bones it is."

* * *

Meanwhile, Hag clutched a pot and bowl in hand and entered the girl's room to see her sitting with her knees to her chest on the bed, silent. With a sigh, Hag placed the pot down on the table in her room and poured some of the contents into the small bowl. She waddled over to the girl first, however, and sat down beside her. Taking her hand, Hag traced her own name on her palm, followed by 'Cure'.

"Cure...?" The girl uttered, "You've made the cure already?"

Hag quickly traced a reply on her palm again, outlining that it was Vergil who was responsible for collating the majority of the ingredients.

"Thank you. You've both done so much for me." was the girl's response.

Hag patted her hand gently then went to fetch the bowl. When she looked up, however, she saw Vergil standing at the doorway. At his presence, she cracked a grin at his direction which only caused a frown to appear on the handsome half-devil's face. "Not a word." He growled low in his throat.

"You just couldn't resist, could you?"

"No. I'd like to bear witness as to how you can cure deafness and blindness at once. A feat, nonetheless."

She waved him off. "Excuses, excuses...You just want to make sure you're the first person she sees..." Hag muttered inaudibly under her breath. Returning to the girl, she lifted the bowl to her lips and tilted it and the girl drank, swallowing one gulp, but suddenly –

The girl recoiled and slapped the bowl away from her mouth.

Whilst Hag blinked in confusion at the bowl spinning out of her hands, the girl immediately sprang away from her, snarling. "What the...?!"

Vergil was quick to react to the situation and he was at Hag's side in seconds: "She is possessed. Whatever is inside her refuses to take the cure." He muttered; he stepped forwards until Hag grabbed his arm.

"Don't hurt her!" She cried.

He didn't intend to, and he circled the girl slowly until she lunged at him and they both dropped to the floor; she was snarling and gnashing her teeth, her features eroding into a demonic countenance. Her eyes were becoming bloodshot, her pupils swollen and bulging against her eye whites, thick veins were prominent over her forehead and temples, her mouth stretched widely, salivating and covered in froth. Vergil immediately grabbed her wrists and in a quick turn of events, he had her pinned underneath him on the floor. She thrashed and roared, shaking her head and screaming in a foreign tongue, fighting against him, Hag's eyes widened at the display, and as she continued her struggle, she finally relented and simmered into cackling laughter, giggling loudly as she glanced up at him.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you? You like me...I know you do...You want to fuck me...You know you want to...and _I want you to_..." She breathed out piteously with hooded eyes, "Oh, Vergil...Fuck me. Fuck me, Son of Sparda... I'm your _mate_, after all..." With that, she began writhing sensually against him, lifting her legs to hook around his waist and bringing him even closer to her whilst shrugging and squaring at her shoulders to ease her garments lower and lower to expose herself. She was moaning erotically the entire time.

"Oh my." Hag squeaked; with the girl pinned down and held in place, she quickly went over, recovered the bowl and dunked it into the pot, scooping up more of the cure. "Hold her down, Vergil!"

Kneeling beside them, Hag put the bowl to the girl's lips despite her fierce resistance.

Once the girl had unintentionally swallowed a few gulps down, the demon inside her was screaming and thrashing wildly. "_Noooo! NO! No, this body is mine! You will not get rid of me that easily!_"

Vergil inhaled a breath. He closed his eyes and concentrated: a blue glow began to bathe the room, electricity crackling in the air and Hag glanced around the room in surprise, sensing the change of tension; gradually, the laughing subsided as a reptilian humanoid replaced Vergil's form. She began to scream all at once again in response, fighting as fiercely as she could against Vergil's triggered form yet it was futile as he held her against the floor. Whatever Vergil was doing appeared to be working - it looked as though she was in a lot of agony and discomfort - and she thrashed violently, fingers digging into her palms. Vergil still did not let go, and she was reduced to a spluttering and heaving wreck. Gasping for breath aggressively, she continued struggling and her chest lurched, windpipe constricting and then -

There was something in her mouth – Hag squinted her eyes for a better glimpse whilst Vergil continued to keep her pinned – a snake came slithering out of her mouth. The girl struggled for breath as tears oozed from the corner of her eyes and rolled down the side of her face, and the snake reared up and emitted a hiss, its red beady eyes landing on Vergil's form. Exposed, the snake attempted to escape, body writhing and slithering furiously. It fumbled off and onto the floor –

And then the door opened and Dante swaggered in. "What's going on here? Who's making all those porn movie noises?"

The snake zipped past him in seconds, darting through the corridor with the speed of light.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, having to hop on one leg, "What the hell was that?!"

"Don't let it escape, Dante!" Hag shrieked, waving her cane in the air angrily. "Kill it!"

His eyes widened slightly. "I got it! I got it! I got this!" yelled Dante, brandishing his guns and chasing after the escaping demon. His pounding footsteps could be heard retreating down the corridor.

There were a few gunshots followed by what appeared to be a mini explosion. Hag winced as the walls shook, dust falling. "...Oh, you better not have destroyed my kitchen, boy..." She grumbled, using her cane to hobble out of the room. Throwing her glance over her shoulder, she saw Vergil still with the girl trapped underneath him; she was back to normal now, her bright green eyes blinking up at the half-devil in surprise.

Hag smiled awkwardly at the pair.

Something told her the two were going to be fine from now on.

* * *

**Notes:**

In case this chapter confused you, Vergil used his devil trigger to 'purge' the evil snake from her that was causing her deafblindness. Not sure if he can really do that but I remember Dante using his majin form to do that in the manga, so yeaaaah if Dante can do it then so can Vergil lol.

**Quotes:**

1\. Zack Hemsey's "Vengeance"

2\. Mark Twain

3\. Victor Hugo

4\. Prajna Paramitha Hridaya sutra (translated from sanskrit)

5\. Nietzsche

6\. Stephen King, "The Dark Tower"

7\. The Joker, "The Dark Knight" (because that movie is so badass and so is Heath Ledger as The Joker)

**Some extras! Whoohoo!**

**Vergil -** escaped from Hell, escaped from Mundus. He's gone to Hag who apparently knows a secret of his father but is unwilling to depart with it.

**"The girl" -** Vergil's mate. Kidnapped from St Orsola's convent and tortured by demons. Harboring a parasitic demon that was causing the deafblindness.

**Hag -** She's not really the twins' grandmother but close enough. An immortal who is known to cure any ailment. For an old lady, she has a lot of sass.

**Dante -** Accepted the kidnapping as a job but initially mistook Vergil as the culprit. Personality-wise, he is half between DMC3 and DMC4.

**Bones -** Died when journeying through the Deathwoods to look for a cure for her sister, only to fall into a spider's nest, becoming a demon herself after years of being trapped in darkness and exposure to demonic energy. Her spirit was freed when Dante escaped from the spider.


	8. Chapter 8

Yo! Long time no see. Sorry for the lack of update. I've been reviving my dead stories, starting with my Metal gear fic first, then i moved to my Free! fic, now I'm moving to this one. I should really move to my other DmC fic too, since that's almost complete but its getting awkward to write. Speaking about awkward, this 'quote' I've chosen for the beginning of this chapter is unfortunately one huge paragraph! Sorry, it's getting hard to find a one-liner that fits the chapter nowadays. Enjoy my dear readers, and many thanks for your continued support and reviews :)

* * *

_His mouth captured hers, trying to show her with his kiss what he was still learning to express in words. He loved her._  
_He worshipped her. He'd walk across fire for her. He—_

_—still had the audience of her three brothers._

_Slowly breaking the kiss, he turned his face to the side. Anthony, Benedict, and Colin were still standing in the foyer._  
_Anthony was studying the ceiling, Benedict was pretending to inspect his fingernails, and Colin was staring quite shamelessly."_

* * *

It was evening and Lady was alone in Devil May Cry, searching through the desk.

"That big fat moron... Stupid pig..." She murmured incoherently under her breath, muttering further obscenities all aimed at the owner of the shop who had been missing for roughly four days now.

Dante was not in, yes, but surely he wouldn't mind her rifling through his cupboards and taking the money that was due. She needed it desperately for her motorbike repairs. Her poor vehicle could also make do with a good shine and polish. Maybe a paint job while it was at the garage. This wouldn't be the first time Lady had taken money when Dante was away. It was _her_ money, after all, so it wasn't stealing. And what kind of buffoon would leave wads of dollar bills in an unlocked cupboard? Not to mention, the door to Devil May Cry was left unlocked as well.

It didn't surprise her. Not one bit.

Lady counted the bills before slipping them into her pocket; as she prepared to leave, a figure slinked inside the shop and there stood Father Johnstone, glancing around curiously before his eyes landed on her.

"Oh, hello Miss Lady." He greeted her with a warm smile.

"What're you doing here?" She said, slamming the cupboard shut. "It's kinda late."

"Yes, but I have been so worried. It's been four days and I haven't heard from Mr Dante since."

"Yeah, well, you're not alone. I'm wondering where that big oaf is too but I'm sure it's nothing." Lady replied, "Just relax. He'll have everything under control. He'll be back soon."

Father Johnstone nodded in agreement. "Of course..."

Lady promptly marched past him and towards the door, "Well, I'm outta here. You're welcome to wait for him when he comes back. Whenever that is."

"Yes, very well. Safe travels, Miss Lady." Johnstone said as he made his way to the couch to sit down, watching her every move.

As Lady passed him, she thought there was something different about him the last time she had seen him.

Father Johnstone's eyes were the lightest shade of amber.

* * *

**MEANWHILE**

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Three."

"Way-hey! You really can see! And you can hear too!"

"Yep."

With that, Dante rubbed at his chin slightly. "...Hm, you were more...argh, I dunno. Forget it. Never mind. I'm Dante. But you know that already, right?"

She slipped her hand into his awaiting palm and he shook her so fiercely her arm trembled. She was left to cradle her arm when he let go. "Lucy." She said.

"Nice to meet ya, Luce."

"Nice to meet you too."

Glancing around the room, she saw Hag and the demon known as 'Bones', but there was definitely someone missing – Vergil - the one who had saved her from those demons, the one who brought all the ingredients for the cure in the first instance...the one who had her pinned underneath him on the floor before promptly vanishing in seconds after her recovery. The encounter and experience was all so surreal. All she remembered was staring up into bright blue eyes and she saw a man before her; this man was rather haggard in appearance and frightening to boot, with his head completely encased in bandages. Only the two blue eyes staring at her made it apparent that he was human. Suddenly, he was gone, getting off her in a matter of seconds and retreating out from the room in a blink. She saw the wisp of a blue coattail escaping through the door and that was it.

And then she remembered passing out and waking up and three days had gone by.

Glancing around, she said, "Where's Vergil?"

Dante let out a low whistle before he proceeded to swing his arm around her shoulder and she struggled slightly under his weight, "Missin' my older bro already, babe?" He reached over and pinched at her cheek affectionately, "I knew you guys were tight, but not _that_ tight."

Bones said, "Actually, Dante, your brother has been gone a long time. Aren't you worried?"

"He's probably gone off to meditate under a waterfall or something."

"If you say so."

"Hey, I know so."

Having finally been cured of her deafblindness, Lucy sat in her seat silently. Although grateful for her sight and hearing to have been restored, the situation was still rather prickly and she still didn't feel like talking as much. She sat between Dante, twin brother of Vergil and demon hunter whilst Bones sat on her other side. Whilst Dante was warm and friendly to the core, Bones was slightly withdrawn and broody, emitting an otherworldly aura which Lucy couldn't quite explain...but could ultimately sense. She had the distinct feeling that this 'Bones' wasn't a human or a living being like Dante or Hag. As if the glowing, floating skeleton that was curled into a fetal position beside her was any indicator.

And whilst Dante and Hag and Bones conversed amiably with each other, she sat between them all, the centre of attention. They were so happy with her being able to see and hear, but now she had many questions but the person she most needed to talk to was not here. After all, when she was taken and tortured, they did mention his name, and that he was the reason why this had happened to her.

"Do you remember much? When you got taken away?" Bones asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. I just remember seeing this pair of amber eyes...and then I passed out and when I woke up, I was already in that place."

Dante rubbed at his chin. "And they..." He made a noise from the back of his throat, gesturing with his hand.

She nodded.

"All because you're Vergil's mate." Dante proceeded to mutter under his breath, "Who'd have thought?"

The table went silent and all faces turned to her. She glanced at them in return, blinking acutely. "...What does 'mate' mean exactly?" She questioned. Deep inside, she had a good idea but didn't really want to say it out loud.

Dante clucked his tongue. "Erm...how should I put it?" He started, rubbing the back of his head, messing his hair, "It means you and my older bro' are like...sex buddies or something."

"Dante!" Hag roared angrily.

"What? That's the easiest way I can explain it. And she asked. She_ asked_. If she can't handle it, that's not my problem, 'kay?"

Bones turned to Lucy promptly. "A mate is a friend or companion. In demonology, I'm assuming this usually means for life."

"That's the child-friendly meaning, yeah. Way to go, Bones." Dante said, grinning at his companion who merely gazed at him with half-lidded eyes, "Hey, you know what? I say something stupid and you go and patch things up for me straightaway. You and me, we kinda complete each other, dontcha think?"

"What exactly are you implying?"

Lucy was left to contemplate on her own whilst Dante and Bones bickered in the background. "A partner." She murmured to herself, "...But I'm not a demon, I'm human. How is that possible?"

Dante shrugged. "That didn't stop my dad, so here I am. And Verge, too. Don't think it really matters if you're human or demon." He replied, "I didn't think it'd be possible though. Vergil...with a _mate_...I just can't imagine it. Not in a million years, not in a million lifetimes."

"Why not?" Hag said, "What's wrong with the thought of Vergil having a partner?"

The younger twin shivered all over whilst Lucy threw her glance to her lap awkwardly. "Yeah, see, it's exactly _that_. I just can't...just can't get my head wrapped around it. It's just soooo not Vergil to...you know, go after girls and stuff. I do that. Me. Not him. Me. Not Verge."

As Dante continued to recoil from the mental images of Vergil being with_ anyone_, the girl stood up in her seat to stand. "I need to talk to him."

"Whoa! You're one brave chick." He remarked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed...my bro's not exactly the friendliest of us all."

She pondered for a brief period. "Your brother has been very gentle with me."

"You sure that's Vergil you're talking about?"

She nodded. It was true; he'd handled her like a butterfly, although there were some moments where he'd been slightly rough, but again, not enough to hurt her in the slightest. "When do you think he'll be back?"

Dante shrugged. "It's probably better that he's not here for now. I'm takin' you back home first thing in the morning."

* * *

**LATER**

There was a series of loud knocks on the door and Lucy hastily slipped out of the bathtub, dried herself with a towel Hag had provided her with and wrapped it around her body tightly. "Who's there?" She opened the door only for a blur of red to rush past her and slam the door shut, leaving her to stand in the corridor by herself, blinking blankly into space.

"Sorry, babe, nature calls!" came Dante's muffled voice from inside.

_Dante_, she thought. She should've known. Suddenly the door re-opened and the demon hunter poked his head out through the gap, wolf whistling loudly at her and then slamming the door shut behind him for a second time. Her face went red as she rapped her knuckles on the door. "Dante, I left my clothes in there!"

"Can ya wait for a few minutes?" was his response, and she sighed.

_Might as well go back to my room for now..._ With that thought in mind, she hurried away, clutching the towel tighter against her body. She returned to her room, closing the door behind her and turning round only to come to a jarring halt.

There, in one corner of her room, was a tall blue figure clutching at his stomach with a katana by his side, his palms bloody and loose bandages straying over one shoulder. Immediately, she went numb on her spot, her eyes went wide with shock and horror.

"Vergil?!" She spluttered, before she could help herself; his appearance from out of the blue truly startled her (no pun intended there).

His blue eyes were the only visible feature behind the bloodstained bandages. She wondered what hid behind them. Dante had once informed her Vergil was his older twin brother, so the face behind the gauze should be identical to Dante's, right? But Dante kept making jokes saying he was the better looking one and so she was confused. She had the desire to truly see for herself. What if the face was not of a human but a demon, considering that they were half-devils, born from a human mother and a demon father. How did it work anyway? What if one twin resembled human, and the other resembled a demon? Her throat seemed to have closed up and she stood limply in the spot. Vergil's mere presence, now that he was here and now that she could see him properly, really was _something else_.

"What happened to you? H-how did you even get here?" She began, until she noticed that he was hurt.

"Ngh." He let out a low grunt, trying to support himself against the wall with one palm flat against the wall. "None of your business."

She continued to blurt out, "Where did you go?"

He seemed irritated by her persistent inquiries. "Keep your questions to yourself, human. Why do you - " He paused when he got an eyeful. His mate stood at the door in nothing but a flimsy towel. Vergil immediately averted eye contact, clearing his throat. All of a sudden, his temperature soared, the room becoming ten times hotter than usual, too. He caught whiff of her scent and it smacked his senses into submission. He mentally berated himself for returning to Hag's house, returning to _her_ room nonetheless. He didn't even know why but it was the first place he teleported to. "...Why do you care?" He finished in a strained growl.

She was taken aback by his words. Not his tone, no, it was silken and smooth, almost gentle, but his words were rather crude. Dante was right after all: Vergil wasn't the most approachable.. "You just took off without saying anything. Everyone was worried."

"Worried. Hn." He brushed her off coldly, "I had some important matters to attend to. It did not require informing anyone where I was headed." He gingerly began to slide down, coating the wall with a bloody handprint trail. She cautiously approached him with an arm outstretched but he snarled at her, "_Don't touch me_."

"But you're – "

"Be quiet." The bandages shifted slightly when he spoke; she could see charred, darkened skin underneath. He appeared to be heavily disfigured. His voice was quite the opposite of his appearance, however.

Also, this would be the first conversation they were having and it turned out like this.

"Why are you unclothed?" He barked.

"Huh?" Her face reddened considerably and she clutched the towel tighter around her body, "Oh, Dante shooed me out of the bathroom, I - a..._atchoo!_"

His eyes narrowed behind the bandages.

She muttered, sniffling to herself, "I-I'll go get Hag to help you."

"No. None of that. Do not summon that wench over here. I'll have no peace."

At a loss, she watched him push himself up, clutching at his sword and his stomach where the flesh wound appeared to be. He began removing his coat, throwing it at her. Unsure what to do, she automatically reached for it and caught it in her arms. She stared at his coat numbly before throwing her glance up to him.

He gazed at her beadily in return. "Well?"

"Huh? Oh." She went to hang it up on one of the coat hooks fixed to the wall. Vergil watched her silently and inwardly sighed at the misinterpreted gesture, and when she turned round, their eyes met. They stared at each other for a fraction longer before she glanced away awkwardly, rubbing at one barefoot with the other. "...What?"

Suddenly, Vergil took one step closer to her. He was trailing blood, little red spots dropping over the floorboards, but now he didn't even seem fazed by his injuries. She stiffened on the spot, taking one step back unconsciously as he continued to near her.

"Uh...Vergil? Wh-what are you doing?"

There was something about his stride towards her that reminded her of a predator. If it was any indicator, his eyes, which were fixated on her, was ferocious but possessive at the same time...and she didn't know what to do.

Her trembling didn't seem to deter him; in fact, Vergil came closer and closer until she found herself backed against the wall; her legs could not stop shaking and she was rooted to the spot. She swallowed down the growing lump in her throat as he towered over her, his tall form casting a shadow over her completely. His face neared, their noses almost touching and he peered into her eyes, those cool blue cerulean eyes reflecting her timid self before him. As he leaned closer and closer, she turned her head to the side, squeezing her eyes shut as he planted his hands firmly on the wall, trapping her. She was quivering; she didn't know what he was doing or what was even going on. For a long time, she could hear his heavy breaths but he did not touch her. He was just standing there with his lips millimeters from her neck, caging her against the wall, his eyes closed.

_Is he...sniffing me?_ She thought incredulously as she heard him inhale deeply. Suddenly, Dante's words from earlier echoed in her mind: _"You and my older bro' are like...sex buddies or something." _Her eyes widened. _No! It can't be!_ _I don't want this -_

His breath was cool on her shoulder and she opened one eye to see him swaying towards her. Vergil's face suddenly landed against her nape and she emitted a sharp gasp; his entire body was leaning against her. He was out cold. In complete and utter shock, she was still for a split second before she snapped into action. She shook him thoroughly, "Vergil?!"

And then the door opened and Dante poked his head in with a bundle of clothes under one arm: "Hey, Luce, I got your - WHOA! What the hell! You two at it already?! Whoops, didn't mean to interrupt!"

She turned to the younger twin, jaw half-open. "No, wait! Dante, you've got the wrong idea! Vergil, he's - " She tried to reach for him but at the same time, once she let go and Vergil was threatening to drop off. Should she just let him?

Dante merely winked at her. "I'll leave you two alone for some serious sexy time ~ "

"Nooo!" She howled in exasperation, but Dante was already gone, slamming the shut behind him, leaving her struggling with his unconscious twin.

* * *

**Note:**

I decided to call the girl Lucy. It was the first name that sprang up in my mind, and I've used 'Lucy' before as an OC and in my first DMC fic too but she was only a minor character and has no connections to this story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry for not updating. For a long time I was stumped as to how to proceed with this fic, then this happened. Just to let you know I've been away from this story for a long time, about more than half a year...so I've kinda lost track and sorry if it seems...rushed or strange.

**WARNINGS:** OOC Vergil (but you'll see why)

* * *

_"Sometimes, it's hard to find words to tell you how much you mean to me. _

_A lot of times, I don't say anything at all. _

_But I hope someday, you'll understand, having you is what I live for."_

_..._

_..._

Hag and Lucy were carrying Vergil off her bedroom floor and onto her bed, with Hag grabbing his ankles while Lucy had to hoist him up under his arms. If he was still awake, they knew he'd be more than displeased with what they were doing.

"So, he just came to you like that?" Hag asked, noticing the little blood spots leaking out from a fresh wound in his gut.

Lucy nodded. "What do you think happened to him, Hag?"

"He probably went to look for another demon artifact again, getting himself hurt in process." They finally carried him near the bed. "On the count of three..." Hag began, nodding at the girl, "Three."

"Two..." Lucy said.

"One." Both women dropped him over the bed with a heave and stared at the unconscious man.

"He's heavier than he looks." Hag remarked.

Lucy turned to her helplessly. "Will he be okay?"

Hag shrugged half-heartedly, "Meh. He'll heal, being a half-devil and all...but I'll need to create some salves to assist the process. It'll be long and slow, but he'll be back to normal and feeling even better than ever."

"Is there anything I can do?"

With that, the old witch grinned widely at her, showing her withered, sharp teeth. "Oh yes, my dear, you can sit by his side and wait for him to recover. That'll help too."

Lucy stared at her in disbelief, "...Really?"

Hag shrugged again before she began to hobble out of the room and towards the direction of her kitchen. "Only if you want to, my dear..."

...

When Hag returned to the room with a stew pot in hands, she was relatively surprised to see Lucy sitting at the edge of the bed, watching the unconscious Vergil. He was completely oblivious, and Hag limped inside, settling the pot over the table with Lucy's help.

"Thank you, my dear, it certainly is nice to see someone care so deeply for him." Hag murmured, which had Lucy glancing to the side awkwardly.

"...He did save my life several times." She uttered.

"And he'll be saving your life even more from now on." Hag said with a wink, which had Lucy swallowing down the lump in her throat. She wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing to say...

"Where's Dante and Bones?" Lucy asked, looking around. Indeed, the shack was quiet and still without them around.

"Oh, I sent them to find ingredients. Dante's too loud and that girl called Bones...at the moment, her aura is too..." Hag fumbled with her words, then turned to her, "Anyway, I'll take care of that soon so don't worry, we have this oaf to take care of." She proceeded to sit down beside Vergil whilst Lucy stood, watching. "Right, let's get these bandages off..."

She began to unstrip the graying material from Vergil's head carefully, peeling it off him layer by layer until the sight of charred skin could be seen. Hag removed the rest of the dressing and Lucy winced slightly at the sight; Vergil resembled a burn victim. It didn't appear as though he had any facial feature that remotely looked human. No eyebrows, no lips, no ears. He didn't seem to have a hairline, but she could see little white strands of hair struggling to grow in little patches.

"Oh dear..." Lucy could hear Hag murmur under her breath.

"What happened to him?"

"Hellfire." Hag muttered with a sigh, "... He told me he was burned everyday as punishment."

"Who would do something like that?"

"It's complicated, my dear. I think it's best if he is the one who tells you, not me."

"O-okay..." Lucy croaked out, and Hag began to tend to him; she dunked her wrinkly hands into the pot and grabbed a clump of mixed leaves before applying them all over his face and the wound on his stomach, spreading them delicately and ensuring they didn't fall off. Instead, they appeared to be clinging to him and Lucy couldn't help but tilt her head curiously as she witnessed the leaves beginning to shift on their own, their stems and shoots growing until they had began to wrap around him.

"That should help."

"What are those?"

Hag said, "Just one of my own personal favorites, they'll take root and he'll be able to soak up their nutrients. He'll be better in no time." She got up from her seat on the bed and hobbled out of the room again, before turning to Lucy expectantly.

"...I can stay and watch him." Lucy suggested, albeit a little awkwardly, which had Hag smiling widely.

...

It was nice to see that someone (other than Dante and herself) show some form of care for Vergil. It was too bad he was too stubborn and didn't want anything to do with her. Sparda would've wanted grandchildren... and Lucy was such a nice girl, too. She didn't run away in disgust or make some insensitive comment after witnessing what Vergil had been reduced to, and she was even staying in the same room as him! Hag couldn't have asked for more. She returned to her kitchen and glanced at her spellbook.

_I should do something to help them to...communicate more. But what?_ She thought to herself. _Should I just leave them be? Let nature run its course...? But what if nothing happens and the opportunity is lost?_

All of a sudden, the pages of her book, which had been lying open, rapidly began to flip and flutter, causing Hag to blink wildly.

"What's gotten into you?" said the old crone as she marched up to it. When the book fell still, Hag glanced at the page it had flipped to before her lips widened into a smile.

_A love spell...of course..._

...

Lucy would wake up from what felt like the longest and best sleep of her life. She sat up from her spot at the table, rubbing at her eyes. How long had she been sleeping for? Outside and the sky was dark. Glancing around, she saw Vergil lying on her bed still with the leaves and herbs draped all over himself. She couldn't seem to shake off this lingering feeling for him and she rose from her seat, walking over to him.

Her eyes widened as soon as she realized the leaves were dark and brittle, dead.

"Oh no!" She squeaked, turning away briefly, "Hag?! Vergil, he – the leaves – " She was interrupted mid-sentence by a hand grabbing her by the wrist. She gasped and whipped her head round to see Vergil slowly getting up, grunting. "Vergil?"

He growled from the recesses of his throat, using his other hand to pull the dead leaves and roots off his face. Lucy stared – he was still charred and burnt all over, but now she was beginning to see the paleness of his lips and frames of his face.

"Vergil...you're..." She whispered breathlessly.

He swerved his eyes to her, those steely blue orbs penetrating her deeply. Lucy swallowed down the lump in her throat as he inspected himself. "Were you the one responsible for this?"

"...No, it was Hag."

He sighed under his breath gently. "Sit down."

Lucy sat down beside him on the bed as he requested and he checked the wound on his stomach, letting go of her hand in process. His wound had vanished. "Are you okay?" She asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine." He replied curtly.

It was quiet in the room. Lucy didn't know what was going on but it appeared he was having a _conversation_ with her, and a mild one too. Not that she minded. She slowly placed her hand on his arm; he tensed all over immediately, shifting his glance to where she had touched him but he did not shake her off or lash out at her as she had believed. Instead, he gazed at her, their eyes meeting, before she raised a hand, reaching for him tentatively.

"Don't." He growled, although he did not move away from her. Lucy stopped herself mid-way.

"Why?" She replied, "...You're in pain, aren't you?"

"It has nothing to do with pain."

She scanned the rest of his features; still burned, not resembling human at all. "...Do you look like Dante?"

"Why are you mentioning that buffoon?"

"Because you and Dante are so unlike."

"Hn."

"He wants to take me home."

"Yes, I am aware."

"...Do you want me to go?"

He turned to her, sharpish.

She said, "I don't really want to go." But then confusion crossed her face for a split second, "I...think." Then she added, "I also wanted to thank you for saving my life."

"I did not 'save your life'." He replied bluntly, before he delved his hand into the pocket of his blue garb and in his bandaged palm was a rusty compass. "This." He said, "Keeps pointing at you." Indeed, the dial was pointing at her direction unyieldingly. "And," Vergil continued, "I aim to find the truth as to why that is."

She tilted her head to the side. "That's..."

He narrowed his eyes. "Do you recognize it?"

"It's one of my family heirlooms." She murmured, "It belonged to one of my ancestors. Why do you have it...?"

"It was my father's. I was informed it belonged to me, rightfully. It would show me how to attain great power."

She seemed surprised. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes. I seek, and I desire power."

"Why?"

"...Because without power, you are nothing."

"That's not true."

Vergil turned away then, until she gingerly placed her hand on his cheek. Vergil went still, before he uttered, "What are you doing?"

She said nothing, but removed her hand a little to see the black residue from touching his face sticking to her palm, his broken skin and some blood. Lucy stared at her hand before bringing her other hand to rest on the other side of his face. She made him look at her directly, their eyes meeting once again. Slowly, she leaned in and he found himself unmoving but then there was this dull thud in his chest, his heart probably, which throbbed and he discovered himself too, to be following her action. They moved closer and closer to each other until they were millimeters apart...

* * *

Dante and Bones would return with the ingredients Hag had asked for, with Bones making a beeline first to the kitchen to deposit her heavy bag of herbs and demon bones and livers, whilst Dante would stroll past Lucy's room only to realize the door was open and –

"What the heck!?" He shouted, leaping at least two feet into the air. Inside, Lucy and a badly-burned Vergil were locked in tight embrace, kissing passionately. He dropped his ingredients, but the pair didn't even seem to notice him. Dante's jaw fell open. "...WHAT."

Had hell frozen over? Was it the beginning of the end? Was the apocalypse starting? Dante found himself being dragged away by Hag as he stared wide-eyed at the sight.

"Shhh, you'll disturb them." She snapped at him.

"What." Dante began, once she had tugged him all the way to the porch, "What the hell was that back there?" He jabbed a thumb at the direction of the bedroom.

Hag shrugged. "Guess they worked something out after all."

He raised a brow. "What did you do, Grams?"

"...Nothing."

"Oh, c'mon! Then what do you call that back there?!" He yelled, "And by the way, that was pretty darn gross for me to see."

Hag twiddled two fingers together, "I may have uh...cast a little spell on them to... you know...communicate a bit more...kekeke..."

"'Little' spell?"

"Fine, fine, it's a big huge one, okay? Ain't no demon alive who can resist it."

Dante looked at her in disbelief. "...Where were you when I was fighting Mundus?"

Hag scoffed. "You did fine without me."

"But you could've – "

"No." With that, she limped back into the house with Dante at her heels.

He was grinning wickedly now. "Hey, Grams, think you could do something like that for me? Make a gal fall head over heels in love with me?" He said with a widening, sly grin, only to be met with a confused look from Bones.

Hag said, "From what I've heard, you seem to be fine in that area too."

Dante shook his head in protest, "What? No, I'm not. Every chick I met either wanna kill me or eat me? 'Cept Bones... you're the exception."

"I feel so special." came Bones disgruntled reply.

"I'm serious, Dante. No spells for you; you might abuse the power some way or the other."

"What? No way! You're one to talk."

"I'm helping your brother."

"Then help me too. No fair, you've always preferred Vergil over me."

Hag sighed. "...Now that ain't true."

Bones frowned at him, "Dante, that was a mean thing to say. Apologize to your grandmother right now."

Defeated, he held his arms in the air, "...Alright, alright...I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I'm gonna go check up on those two lovebirds." He murmured, "How long does the spell last?"

"Couple of hours." Hag said.

"Meaning?"

"Twenty-four."

* * *

**A/N **

Just to let you know, from the bit where Lucy wakes up and then Vergil wakes up, they were already under Hag's love spell lol. I also wondered if I should've had them kiss so early, especially because I didn't write it from Lucy's perspective or Vergil's and it was just...there, and it may cut off the whole romantic factor or something like that...but I get the feeling I'll hopefully make it up to you guys soon, so i hope you enjoyed it so far!


	10. Chapter 10

**New A/N**

To begin with, "your story is trash".

I got that once.

I'm having a rant here...it's got nothing to do with you guys of course, but I have just received an anonymous 'review' on my most recent story - it's not this one though, but dear lord, I am so tired and fed up and just remembered why I lost inspiration to write for a long, long time. That story has not garnered much readers which I don't mind but then this review says 'If there aren't a lot of comments it means people don't like it because there are tonnes more better stories out there with loads of comments' and they even instructed a reviewer I had to go read said better stories or something like that anyway. Ok, honestly...how I feel about that, well firstly it hurt for a bit because yeah there aren't many comments and yeah I guess it will bother me if there aren't many reviews because then it is a giant blow to someone's confidence.

If you put it that way, any normal person would be quite upset with a comment like that...but then I was like I don't care about how many reviews that story gets because it's also on Quotev and there are more readers there, plus it's actually meant to be a self insert (obviously the person failed to read that part, and only reviewed on chapter 1 when my story had like 5+). Second, not everyone likes my work and I get that. Third, who are you and why did you feel the need to point that out? Are you just being a giant ass because I wronged you in a past life or something? There was nothing constructive and I have never demanded reviews nor have I put my story at ransom until I get like oooh let's say, 100 reviews?

And then I remembered this review I got for Good Girl Gone Bad, my other DmC fic. It's completed now. I'd been writing it for more than a year I think. My last chapter was 30 and I completely gave up on it to be honest...then I got a review from Thornsword or whatever saying 'This story is trash'. I was full of rage for a while because of it and I think I sent him this message going 'I checked your profile and you wrote that you have never written on this site and don't plan to' and I must've also written back saying 'You're telling me my story is trash but you've never even written on this site before?' If he had posted one I would've had a bit more respect. Plus, my story had been out for some time...and it took 30 chapters for him to realize it was trash, seriously!? It's probably because I used the word 'cock' too many times in that story along with 'Dante's' (FYI Good Girl Gone Bad contained a high count of lemon).

I spoke to my cousin some time ago. She's the one who introduced me to this site and she had been on this site since 2004. 2004! She occasionally comes back to look at some stories and her own. She said she never received any reviews like those before - you know, ones that are just hateful and mean, with nothing constructive to say. She said she got flamed at least once or twice... but only since 2012, reviews like the aforementioned were becoming more common - people just anonymously reviewing with nothing good to say or some random dude just saying 'Your story sucks'.

You know what? Fair enough, maybe my writing does suck, but this is fanfiction, I am not making a dime here - yes, I could do with some improvement and I can't please everyone. My other point being, I DON'T write because I think I'm queen of the universe and I DON'T write because I'm this massive fangirl who likes writing OCs fucking canon characters - Hell my Metal Gear fic was an OC fic and BARELY had any romance! I don't think my stories are all that nor are they great. I don't think I have ever given any of you that image? Or have I?

Anyway, I thank the reviewers I have from the bottom of my heart in my next author's note. I can't reply to you all and I'm sorry, but I am so grateful for those who enjoy reading my stuff because frankly, whilst other people think its trash, some people actually really like what I post here and it's really nice when they tell me they've had a bad day and they saw my update which really made them happy.

But yeah, so next time if someone else gets a review like that, come to me because I will kick that anonymous person's ass. No, just kidding. These kind of comments are just troll comments made by some lame idiot sitting behind a keyboard or on their tablet or phone who lead a sad, sad life with nothing better to do. You can agree with me or not. If I had written something like "I think my writing skillz r frikkin' amazeballs ur just gay u asshat u can kiss ur own ass" then I probably deserved to be flamed, if I did that then by all means flame like crazy. And this note might actually incur the wrath of more flamers and trolls! They might even be laughing at me right now! If I actually get a reaction from this, it'll definitely prove me point! That's fine with me! Go ahead! See if I care what you think because I have a life! Oh, just to let you know...No-one likes getting bad reviews and me writing this is not to portray myself desperately and pathetically defending my stories or anything.

Now if you excuse me I'm going to watch Hannibal and maybe some Criminal Minds later. Thanks for reading!

**Oh, and here is the old note: **

Thanks for the reviews! I'm so glad you guys are still reading this fic! I'm sorry the chapters are short. I'm still trying to work out the plot but it's kinda getting there, but it's really slow...Sigh. This chapter is just for the lols to be honest. Hope you enjoy, despite more OOC Vergil.

**Some new notes:**

I had a reread and I'm sorry - warnings for an OOC Dante too!

Oh and if anyone wants to flame or leave behind some nasty comment, go ahead and just let it all out, just don't wait 30 chapters okay? Nothing productive in doing that; it's not good for your health either.

* * *

_"Into the woods,_

_Without delay,_

_But careful not_

_To lose the way."_

_..._

_..._

"Arrrrghh!"

Dante and Bones went charging into the room immediately following Lucy's piercing scream. "Luce? What's wrong?! yelled the devil hunter, with Bones at his side. He had Ebony and Ivory out whilst Bones maneuvered herself into an offensive stance even though he wasn't aware she was able to fight.

Lucy had her back to them but once she turned round to face the duo, they realized she was alone in the room, thick tears streaking down her eyes. "It's Vergil!" She wailed, "He's...he's..."

Dante and Bones waited.

"He's _gone_!" She finished with a dramatic sob, and both demon hunter and demon felt their shoulders sag with disbelief.

"Is that it?" Dante murmured, lowering his pistols and rubbing the back of his head.

Lucy nodded, devastated with Vergil's missing presence. "I woke up from my nap and he's not here! He's gone! Why would he leave? I love him so much! I can't live without him!"

Dante couldn't help but crack a grin, deciding to take advantage of the situation, "Sooooo, what exactly do you like about my brother?"

"_Dante, what are you doing_?" Bones hissed, but he put a finger to his lips and she fell silent.

Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "What do I like about your brother? What a silly question. I like everything about your brother. His eyes are so sexy and I can't resist his sinister way of talking to me. I mean, it's so cold but it totally turns me on. I can't stop thinking about him. He's all I want in a man. I want no-one else but him. He's the one for me. I just want him to strip me naked and ravage me – "

"Okay! Too much information!" Dante hollered, whilst Bones rolled her eyes, "Stop thinkin' about him, I need to take you home."

She shook her head wildly, "Please don't take me away from Vergil! I love him and he loves me too."

He sighed loudly, "...Geez, this love spell is really something..."

Surprised, she said, "What are you talking about?"

Dante waved his hand dismissively, "Nothing. You know what? We'll wait until this whole thing blows over. Until then, enjoy it whilst it lasts. Looks like you still got twenty-something hours to go. Good luck."

"I'm so worried about Vergil!" Lucy wailed, before she burst into tears.

Now it was Bones turn to step in. "Lucy, maybe he's gone to find another artifact." She replied, and she waddled over to console the crying girl, "There, there, I'm sure he's fine. And I'm sure he loves you too."

"Bones, thank you... I wish Vergil would...I wish he would come back..." Lucy sobbed into Bones' shoulder as the demon patted her gently, "I miss him so much!"

...

"...Is this twenty four hours over yet? I am getting so sick of this." Dante moaned as he watched Lucy cry incessantly into her hundredth hanky. At first, he had enjoyed baiting Lucy for a bit but now it was getting tiresome. He hoped Vergil would return soon. He'd been gone for several hours. At this rate, twenty four hours would pass and Vergil wouldn't even be here for most of them. Taking Lucy back home in her current state wouldn't be productive at all. Damn love spell. Damn Hag. Damn Hag for casting a love spell on them. Damn it all.

"I just wanted to help." Hag said; she too, seemed a little concerned as she watched Lucy sobbing and sniffling helplessly and uncontrollably in her little corner. No amount of consoling from the demon hunter, Bones or Hag was working. Lucy missed Vergil terribly that her eyes were beginning to grow red and swollen and her voice was raspy and hoarse. "Where did Vergil go anyway?"

Dante shrugged aloofly. Meanwhile, Bones sat beside him, bored out of her mind.

A few minutes later and they heard a noise from outside and Lucy stopped sniffling and looked up with a gasp. "Vergil?" She breathed out, and then – "Vergil!" She exclaimed excitedly. They watched her thunder out of the room, sprinting towards the back porch.

"I bet you ten bucks it's not him." Dante muttered to Bones.

As Dante, Hag and Bones went over to the window to watch – indeed, there stood the older twin with Yamato in hand, now with his head wrapped in a clean set of bandages and once Lucy saw him, the biggest smile appeared on her face and she threw her arms around him tightly. "You're back! I knew you'd come back! Where did you go?" Lucy gushed.

Abruptly, Bones turned to Dante. "Pay up." She said, with her hand out.

Grumbling, Dante slipped a hand into his pockets but came out empty-handed. "Heeey, wait a second – you don't need money, you're a demon – "

"You still lost the bet." Bones said, "What happened to your Vergil senses? Did they not tingle this time?"

"Hmm...good question." Whilst Dante handed one bill and a couple of cents at her, Bones pocketed the cash and they continued watching the pair outside. Vergil didn't seem to respond to Lucy's growing enthusiasm at his return but when she looked up at him, he glanced down at her and delved a bandaged hand into the innards of his jacket before pulling something out.

"Take this." He said.

"Huh? What is it?" She asked, as he held out a rusty chain with a pendant (a shrunken head of an ugly, grotesque creature) in his hand. Her eyes widened immediately as she took it off him. "It's beautiful! I love it! You went out to get me this? Oh, thank you..."

"It is for your protection."

Dante left the window when Lucy hurriedly draped the hideous pendant over herself and beam up at him; Vergil pulled her into his embrace and in a matter of seconds, they were kissing fervently. Dante gagged slightly and said, "I think I'm gonna throw up."

...

The hours ticked by.

"And then once I go back home, I'm going to tell everyone including Father Johnstone that I'm leaving the convent for good because I don't need anyone else in my life or anyone else to look after me except from Vergil, and then Vergil and I are going to get married and we're going to have this big ceremony – "

"Dear god! Someone make her stop!" With hands clamped over his ears, Dante hurried out of Hag's kitchen.

"Dante, where are you going? You're my future brother-in-law! You'll need to throw Vergil a stag party!" Lucy followed after him keenly whilst a bemused Bones and Hag failed to contain their sniggers.

Vergil was resting in Lucy's room, having dived into demon-infested territory and killing anything in his way just to bring back the swollen demon head protection charm for her. Hag had tended to a couple of wounds, then she dumped more of the healing leaves over his face and left him like that. Meanwhile, Lucy had been giddily explaining to Dante and Bones all sorts of wedding plans and how much she loved Vergil.

"And did I mention to you how much I love your brother?" She said, and Dante skidded on his heels, whipping round to her. That was it. That was the final straw.

"Goddamnit, you've said that fifty times by now!"

"Then you should be taking this more seriously!" Lucy barked, "Now think about what kind of speech you'll be making."

"Speech? What speech?"

"What do you mean 'speech'? You're the _best man_!"

He roared, mentally exhausted. "I can't take this anymore!" Dante howled, returning to the room Hag had provided him with and slamming the door shut. Meanwhile, Hag and Bones exchanged looks before bursting into loud peals of laughter.

"Sheesh, what's his problem?" Lucy muttered under her breath, before she wandered towards the direction of her own room to check up on the love of her life. "Vergil? How are you feeling?"

She saw Vergil sitting upright in bed, removing the leaves from his face. His face was healing a lot better now and if she looked at him closely and for a lot longer, she could see the resemblance to Dante. He had been resting for a long time, and she had been waiting for him to recover his strength fully. Even though he was still hurt he went out to get her a gift – the fact made her ecstatic, knowing what he'd done and what he'd been through. "What were you doing talking to my brother." He murmured, his voice husky and low.

She gave him a lopsided look and ran her fingertips over the pendant he'd given to her a few hours earlier. "Never mind. I didn't mean to, but I think I made him mad...I made him go back into his room."

Lucy was surprised to see him smirking. "...Good girl." Vergil crooned, with a sly smirk playing on his lips. Maybe he could use his mate to some advantage after all.

She returned to his side, perching herself on the bed; he drew her into his arms and let her sit in his lap where she gently laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him in return. She snuggled against him. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes."

"That's good." She said, brushing some snowy-white hair from his face, "Hey, Vergil?"

"What?"

"I love you."

"Mm." He took her chin gently in hand and pulled away some bandages from his mouth, before pressing his lips against hers; Lucy responded immediately, pressing her mouth against his firmly. The back of his mind was earnestly screaming that something about this didn't feel remotely right but he himself wasn't doing anything to stop this, whatever _this _actually was...he was initiating and she was accepting and vice versa.

The same went for Lucy. Something didn't feel right, but her actions betrayed her anyway... He kissed her hard, almost to the point that it was beginning to hurt but she didn't protest. Their mouths moved urgently against one another, their kisses growing more passionate, deeper and stronger...each kiss longer than the last. Lucy untangled her arms to drape them around his neck to pull him closer to her. He heard himself growling from the back of his throat as he held her by the waist, hands firm on her hips; a spark had ignited inside him, a lust he did not think he possessed.

They broke apart for a moment, panting. "I want you." Those words...surely they weren't his? Had they truly escaped his lips?

"I want you too." She breathed out, tracing her fingertip along his jaw. They kissed again, moaning, and he had her pinned underneath him on the bed. "Vergil..."

He growled against her, tugging at her bottom lip hungrily, "You're mine. _Say it_."

She gasped between his open-mouthed kisses, "I'm yours." He began showering her with affectionate kisses, but then she pulled away again with a short gasp for air and he followed her, tugging at her lower lip. "I'm tired, can we go to sleep?" She said, as he kissed the contours of her mouth.

"No." He growled, before his lips traveled lower and he reached her neck, lavishing at her skin with his tongue before biting at her flesh; he made sure he would leave his mark on her.

She sighed in bliss, closing her eyes as he continued his pursuits. "Okay..." However, he pulled away, causing her to pout somewhat. "What's the matter?"

He took a while to reply until his fist curled and he glanced over his shoulder, glancing around the rest of the room as she stroked the side of his cheek. "This place." He growled, before he got off her to sit upright. She sat up beside him, draping her arms around him tightly. "We're leaving. Now."

She smiled widely. "Now? Okay!"

"Not so loud. My imbecile brother and that meddling witch...they'll hear you."

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"Get your belongings." He ordered and she was more than happy to comply.

* * *

They'd been quiet for some time which made Dante worry to a certain extent. Had they done the nasty already? But...if they did, he figured they'd be...well, _loud_? Well, he didn't think Vergil would be the type to be loud. But what about Lucy?

_Urgh! Why am I thinking about this anyway?!_

He brushed away the thoughts. He would never let Vergil live this down but also a part of him knew this 'love spell' of Hag's literally spelled trouble. Once the effect wore off, what would happen? Vergil would never forgive Grams, that was for sure. Even though Grams said Vergil and Lucy probably wouldn't remember what had happened, a part of them would feel closer to each other without truly understanding why. And somehow Dante earnestly believed Vergil would remember some of the experience...

"What are you doing?" It was Bones, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Dante at their closed door with his hand on the doorknob, about to enter. "Shouldn't you knock first?"

"Screw that. They've been quiet for ages." Dante opened the door only to see it empty. With his fist clenched, he slammed it against the doorframe, "I knew it!"

"What is it? Huh...They're gone." Bones muttered, turning to him, "Do you think they've eloped?"

"Damn it!" Immediately Dante left the room, grabbing his coat and donning it in seconds. Bones hurried after him as he stomped down the corridor, seizing Rebellion and his two pistols off the table. "I'm going after them."

He stormed out the front door. With Rebellion strapped to his back, he ran out of the shack and into the woods with Bones trailing after him.

...

He would find them about to enter the Deathwoods and Vergil would sense his presence first, turning to him with his blade at the ready whilst ushering Lucy behind him.

"You." snarled his older twin.

"Yes, me." Dante said, his hand gripping over Rebellion's hilt tightly, "Verge, I can't let you take her away."

Vergil threw his glance to Lucy for a split second before returning his gaze at Dante. "Why must you stand in my way yet again, brother? You must enjoy taunting me. And for what cause? Is it because she is your 'job'?"

He shook his head. "No, Verge, you're wrong. It's not just because she's my job, either. It's the spell that Hag cast on you both – "

"I am not under any spell."

Dante figured Vergil would say something like that. Seems like Hag was right: Ain't no demon alive who could resist it. "And Mundus is after you. You need to do something about that first."

The older twin's fist clinched around the blade and he sneered, "How gallant of you, Dante, to speak such brave words."

Frustrated, the younger twin yelled, "Goddamnit, will you just listen? I don't wanna fight you!"

"Then_ leave_ us or you'll force my hand." Vergil hissed icily.

Dante pondered for a brief moment or so, before he slowly loosened his grip on his sword. "...Dante?" Bones began, blinking at him in astonishment.

He ignored her. "Fine." Dante growled. "Go." He watched Vergil and Lucy disappear into the woods.

"What are you doing?" Bones exclaimed, "You can't let them go just like that."

He shook his head. "Nah, it's no good. It's the spell. It's too strong. According to Grams, it'll wear off soon. That's when I'll go bring her back."


	11. Chapter 11

Sigh. My rant is over now. I'm okay. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'm really lucky to have great readers! I hope you enjoy this update, hopefully it clears some stuff up :)

* * *

_"Save yourself _

_for the devil is on his way _

_so you pray _

_so you pray _

_but you can't hide _

_you can't hide _

_when evil calls your name."_

...

...

Vergil and Lucy would be halfway through the woods when the spell's effect would wear off.

Their faces were close and their lips pressed together tightly. Her hands were tangled in his hair and he would find himself with his arms around her waist. At first, no-one moved, but Lucy was the first to react, pulling away and struggling free from his grip that she stumbled over the ground gracelessly, landing on her butt whilst Vergil would take a step backwards, blinking in disorientation.

Then they would throw their glances at each other: "_Hag!_" Both exclaimed in unison, although Vergil seemed to growl the name out. Lucy stared at him, wide-eyed whilst Vergil would narrow his eyes.

"Oh my god!" Lucy began to squawk. She had been kissing him! _Kissing_ him! She could not help herself; a hand automatically flew to her mouth and she hastily and messily wiped her wet lips with the back of her hand. No amount of wiping helped - her mouth was sore and her lips were warm. She felt as though one had woken from a deep sleep and proceeded to look around herself in confusion whilst Vergil remained quiet and still following his outburst. She was unable to meet his eye as she squeaked out, "What's going on? What am I doing here? Where's Hag?" Then she saw the demon pendant around her neck and shuddered. "What the hell is this?!"

Vergil was calm as usual whilst she pulled off the pendant amidst her shock, throwing it to the side. A demon protection charm. As he inspected the dark woodlands, he deduced that they were in the infamous Deathwoods judging from the wisps of thick fog at their ankles and the eerie, hooting owl perched atop the highest tree branch. He couldn't fathom a reason why both himself and the useless little human was here, however. "...That witch is responsible." He grumbled. He couldn't think of anything else.

"Uh...responsible for what?" Her response was merely a disgruntled growl from the half-devil as he turned away and began to stomp towards a random direction. She got up and tried to follow after him. "Hey! Where are you going? Don't leave me here! I don't know what this place is!"

He turned to her, pointing Yamato at her throat and she skidded to a halt. "If you take one step closer, I won't hesitate to use this on you."

She leveled her gaze with the blade then swerved her eyes at him, "But – "

Vergil would unsheathe Yamato next and she hopped backwards. When she no longer moved, reduced to merely staring at him with widened eyes, he turned and disappeared into the trees, leaving her alone.

Irrevocable rage overwhelmed her; she'd had enough of his attitude and the way he treated her, and she yelled, "Get back here!"

But he was gone...

Fuming, Lucy seethed to herself silently. _Fine, I'll get out of here myself. _Determined to find the exit without the use of Vergil, Lucy wandered through the Deathwoods on her own.

However, it was no use... every tree looked the same; every path she took just seemed to take her further and further away. She was scared. It was dark, cold and quiet. The trees were dead and their trunks were as black as night. They trees were strange; they seemed to stretch far and wide, covering the sky. Maybe it was her minds playing tricks on her but she thought she could also see human faces on the trunks. They all looked horrid and full of pain as though they were being tortured or some sort. She hated this place. It was terrifying and suffocating. The air was muggy and she couldn't see very well as to what was in front of her due to the fog. She took careful steps and would stop at every strange noise she heard.

She would venture far until she came across as a pathway covered in white...silk? Her mind screamed at her as soon as she came across this path, telling her to go back. She did so, turning round until something seized her by the ankles and she was lifted off the floor. She screamed, her view going upside down and she was hoisted at least twenty feet into the air.

And then she came to a stop with a rough jerk and left hovering, her arms dangling.

"Arrghh! What the fuck!" She screamed; she couldn't help herself. As if the day couldn't get any worse, before her was a woman...The woman...no, monster before her was unimaginable – she had the upper torso of a human but her lower half was of a spider's body... the creature appeared to be covered in blood and was missing two legs. A thick white cord sprouted from her mouth and she realized the white cord was wrapped around her ankle. Lucy struggled feebly as the woman detached the silk cord from her mouth and fastened Lucy to the ceiling of her nest.

"Well, well, well, another lost soul, hmm?" sneered the spider-woman, and Lucy was too horrified to speak. "You'll be a tasty meal...just like my last...she was small and tender too..."

Fearing for her life, Lucy began to resist thoroughly as another long length of silk shot out from the woman's mouth, wrapping itself around her; Lucy began fighting against her bonds.

"There's no point in trying to escape." said the demon as she crawled over to Lucy's side. "No-one will come for you."

Then a new voice entered the foray: "Actually, that's where you're wrong."

Both Lucy and the spider demon turned to the new voice, swerving their gazes to the ground below. "Dante! Bones!" Lucy cried out in relief as soon as she saw the demon hunter and Bones, staring up at them. She had never been so damned relieved to see them.

"Hey! I thought I took care of you!" Dante yelled, brandishing Ebony at the spider.

"Obviously not." Bones muttered.

"_You again_!" screamed the spider once her eight eyes landed on Dante's form. "_You killed my children_!"

"Haha, yeah. Sorry 'bout that." Dante said with a grin, "Say, how about you come down here and pick on someone your own size?" Enraged, the spider abandoned Lucy and dropped down, landing on the ground before Dante and Bones with a giant 'thud' that the entire woodlands shook. "Now we're talking." He chuckled, but suddenly Bones stepped forwards, holding her arm out.

"May I?"

"Bones?"

"I can deal with this. Just watch." Turning to the spider, who was about to lunge at them, Bones merely stood...and then she lifted her hand and drew it back, her fingers arching before her nails turned black, lengthening into claws. Immediately, the spider stopped and as Bones moved her hand, the spider was flung to the side, slamming into one wall of her nest; a purple glow engulfed Bones' hand and as Dante watched, it dawned to him that she was controlling the demon.

"Whoa." He remarked, with a low whistle. Whilst Bones was preoccupied with the spider, he decided to go help untie Lucy from her confinements.

The spider tried to get up, struggling on her missing legs, "I remember you, my pretty. I enjoyed devouring you, ripping your insides apart when you were still alive and stripping the flesh off your bones!"

"Yes, and I remember you." Bones said, still with her hand raised, "And now, after all those years, I can do _this_."

When she made a tight fist with her hand, the spider promptly suddenly exploded into guts and blood with bloodcurdling scream. Dante had been climbing up to reach Lucy, unfastening her before grabbing her tightly; she held onto him as he leapt and landed on the ground with her safe in his arms. Bones stood, her hand squeezing so tightly into her palm she drew blood and a black aura was emitting from her body.

"Bones! Snap out of it!" Dante shouted, and as he let Lucy find her feet on the ground, he went up to her and shook her shoulders fiercely; only then did she break out of her stupor.

"...Oh." She uttered unsteadily, swaying slightly, "I...I killed her."

He glanced over his shoulder to see nothing but a wet, bloody pile of squished spider. "Yeah, no kidding." He uttered, as he returned to Lucy's side. After she thanked him, he went over to Bones again and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I-I think so."

"What did you do? It happened so fast."

"I crushed her bones."

"Yeesh, remind me never to get on your bad side..." He turned to Lucy next, "Hey, are you okay? Where's Verge?"

"I'm fine, and...Vergil is gone." She was trying her best not to stutter.

"What? He left you here!?"

She nodded tiredly. "Dante...I want to go home. Please take me home."

...

Vergil returned to Hag's shack. He climbed up the steps of the porch silently and as soon as Hag went out to greet him, she glanced around, noticing that he was alone. "Vergil? Where's Lucy?" She asked.

"Gone."

Immediately, she noticed the iciness in his tone. "Oh...the spell..."

In seconds, Vergil unsheathed Yamato and held it at her neck, which had her blinking at him wide-eyed. "You will tell me the location of my father's weapon. My patience wears thin and you've toyed with me enough." He snarled.

"Vergil, what are you – "

"Out with it, wench. What were you expecting? I did not come here for casual conversation."

She shook her head sadly. "I can't believe you would do this – "

"Hag! I've had enough of this foolishness."

"Where is it?"

"What?"

Hag emitted a weary sigh. "The compass."

Vergil pulled out said compass from his pocket, noticing that the dial was pointing behind him, pointing south. "What about it?"

Pushing Yamato away from her neck, Hag limped towards him and took the compass out of his hand, inspecting it. "It was your father's, but it once belonged to a brave and loyal man. There's a story behind it." Hag said, "Not many people know."

"Such as?"

Hag took a deep breath a she recounted her tale, "A long time ago, your father was wounded in a ferocious battle. He had not met Eva as of yet. He fled to the human world and was found by a human: a farmer. At first the man feared his appearance but seeing your father in agony and pain, the villager took your father in and provided him with food and shelter. The man also had a wife, and she too, helped look after your father. Sparda was touched by their kindness and found his strength returning to him little by little. One day, demons descended, looking for your father. They killed everyone in the village including the man and woman who helped him. Your father was unable to save them."

"And the compass?"

"I'm getting to that part. Sparda killed the demons sent after him and found the village man as he lay dying. He handed Sparda a compass, a prized treasure of theirs. Your father accepted the gift and swore that he would repay the man for his kindness. This is where you come to into play. Sparda swore that the first female descendant of that man, if they are born within the same generation as his eldest son, Sparda vowed that his eldest child would...well, I think you have a good idea what I'm going to say next."

He threw a quick glance to the rusty trinket in Hag's hand, "And that is the reason why the compass keeps pointing at her? Are you trying to say we are inexplicably connected by such an event?"

Hag nodded. "She's yours, Vergil. It's up to you if you want her, and if you want to honor your father's words."

...

The door opened and Father Johnstone stood with widened eyes at the sight. "Lucy!" He exclaimed in shock and relief; Dante watched as the two embraced before turning to Bones who was staring at them silently. Once Johnstone let go of Lucy, he then went to shake his hand warmly, "Thank you so much for bringing her back home safe and sound, Mr Dante. Come in, come in."

"Uh...thanks." Dante uttered, although he wasn't really used to people thanking him. Despite being a devil hunter and having completed thousands of odd jobs which didn't always end so positively like this one, not many people thanked him for his line of work. Johnstone and Lucy invited them inside the convent although Bones hissed in protest due to the holy water and the numerous wards. Dante stopped halfway through the door and turned to her, then turned to the priest. "Actually, I think I'm good out here."

"But what about your reward?" Johnstone said, and Dante threw a quick glance to Bones.

"Sorry, I can't stick around." He replied jovially, before he patted Bones' on the back, "I gotta get this one home too."

"Very well then, Lucy, get my cheque book for me, please?"

Dante held his arms up immediately, "Wait! Just to let you know I didn't take this job just for the money, Luce, it was also due to the decency and goodness deep within the bottom of my heart." The demon hunter quickly said with a wink. Lucy shook her head, smiling awkwardly at him.

Whilst Lucy went to find Johnstone's cheque book, the devil hunter was left with the priest. "I apologize, where are my manners? You've brought a friend."

"This is – "

Before Dante could finish, the demon said, "Bones. Nice to meet you."

Johnstone raised a brow but nevertheless, shook her hand. She was icy to touch. "The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for bringing Lucy home safely." And Bones smiled at him dryly in response. Once Lucy returned with the cheque book and a pen, Johnstone wrote out the sum and handed the little slip to Dante. "Thank you so much for all your help. We won't forget it."

Turning to Lucy, Dante patted her on the shoulder affectionately. "See ya around, kid. Take care of yourself."

She nodded. "Thank you Dante, Bones. I guess this is goodbye?"

"Nah, 'course not. Hey, you should swing by _Devil May Cry_ some time. I'd...uh...I'd give you a business card but I don't have one. Here's my number; call me."

"Thanks." She said, as he quickly wrote down his number on her hand and gave her a wink. "Dante?"

"Yeah, babe?"

She seemed awkward. "...Do you think I'll see Vergil again?"

Dante made a hum under his breath and shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe not. Who knows?"

...

Dante was driving home with Bones sitting shotgun although she didn't appear used to cars at all, making him wonder what era she may actually be from. The convent was a distance away from the shop, being on the other side of town and when they returned, it was already dark. Dante parked the car and swaggered into his shop, inhaling the musty old smell which he was familiar with.

"Home sweet home." He said, as Bones glanced around curiously. "Bones, make yourself cozy."

The demon stepped further into his lounge, staring at his sofa, his desk, the trophies on the wall. "What are those?" She asked, gesturing to Nevan, Beowulf and Cerberus who were also fixed to the wall.

"Hm? Oh, those old things? Devil arms." He explained to her, removing his jacket, shirt and vest to leave himself half-naked. He wandered over to the fridge and opened it, pulling out a beer. "Man, I need a shower...and a pizza."

Bones didn't pay him any attention; instead, she threw her gaze to the Devil Arms before slowly turning to him. "Dante."

"Yeah?"

"I want to stay with you until you take me home, but I also understand that this form is too inconvenient for you." She said.

Dante raised a brow as he sipped his beer loudly. "Whaddya mean? I think you're fine." He replied, and she shook her head; Dante had to shield his eyes as Bones suddenly became engulfed in a bright flash of multicolored lights. "Whoa! What's with the light show?"

When he lowered his arm, he saw a large...dish, or shield, lying on his floor. Bones was nowhere to be seen. He waddled up to it, squinting his eyes at the skull motif printed over the dish. The skull had a wicked grinning face and empty sockets with glowing red orbs, swathed with an ominous purple glow. He squatted down beside it, prodding at it with his finger. "...Bones? That you?"

"Yeah." said a disembodied voice emitting from the dish.

"What did you do now?" He picked her up and turned her back and forth; it was a large dish with a bony spine coiled around and around. "You became a yoyo?"

"I'm a scythe, you idiot!"

"Whoa!" Dante stepped back when the devil arm revealed itself – the dish split into two, the skull splitting in half, folding to become one singular blade whilst the long spine uncoiled and went stiff to become a polearm – Dante grabbed it and let out a whistle. "Neat, Bones. I've always wanted a scythe."

"Please be gentle with me."

"Awesome!" Dante began spinning the scythe in his arms expertly before he swiped at his old dusty poker table, slicing it in half. A couple of other objects shared the same fate as he continued to demonstrate. "Hoowaagh! Yaagh! Heeyah!"

"I said be gentle!"

Chuckling, Dante inspected the furniture he'd just trashed. He didn't need them but he seemed pleased with the Bones-turned-scythe. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Well, I figured I may be useful to you some way. This might do."

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Dante turned only to see a familiar young woman storm inside his shop. "Oh, it's you." He said aloofly, at Lady's forced entry. "Hey, lookie, I got a new toy – "

This time, Lady was not demanding money from him which surprised him to a certain extent, "Dante, where's the girl? Johnstone told me you returned her."

"Yeah, I took her home." He said, before he stuffed Johnstone's cheque far down his pants, "Hey, hey, I haven't even cashed this in yet."

"That's not why I'm here!" She exclaimed, slightly exasperated, "C'mon, we need to go."

"But I just got here – "

"Johnstone's not who he says he is!" Lady said, "He's a demon; he's the one who took her away."

He almost choked on his beer. "What?!" Glancing at his cheque, he uttered, "...Then why did he ask me to find her? AND give me the money?"

Lady sighed, "...The real Johnstone is dead. The Johnstone you spoke to is a fake." Without another word, she stormed out of Devil May Cry with Dante at her heels.

"Wait, I need to tell you something." Dante said, catching up to her whilst donning his coat, "You're probably not gonna like it or believe it."

"Humor me."

"Vergil's back."

There was a pause on Lady's end but then she said, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm tellin' the truth!"

Both stopped in their tracks and she turned to him, looking at him squarely in the eye and then – "Oh god, you _are_ telling the truth." She uttered.

"That hurt, Lady. I always tell the truth."

Jabbing at his chest with a finger, Lady barked, "What do you mean he's back?!"

He swatted her hand away, "I dunno, he just came outta nowhere and he had Lucy with him. She's his mate."

"What!?" Lady continued to exclaim, her fists curling, "We gotta get going; fill me in on this on the way."


	12. Chapter 12

Woot ~ Here is an early update! Thanks everyone for the reviews... although I don't really wanna publish this especially before Christmas due to the content of today's chapter. it's miserable, dark and disturbing.

**WARNINGS:** Graphical violence, blood

* * *

_"Don't you see?_

_The catastrophe is me._

_My very existence is an affront to everything that is natural and good."_

...

...

Lucy returned to her room.

It looked different. She didn't remember much about the night she was taken away but apparently there'd been some kind of struggle. They'd replaced her bed with a new one along with a new desk. Her dresser was the same and so was her bookshelf, except it was now lined with a thin coat of dust and her books were rearranged in a messy order. She sighed and turned to close the door only to come to a stop.

Two girls from the convent stood outside in the corridor, whispering and staring at her. "I heard she got kidnapped by a demon."

"No way. Demons don't exist."

"Apparently they had to hire this demon hunter to find her and bring her back, so something must've happened."

"I don't feel safe here. What if we get targeted? What if one of us gets taken away next?"

"Just stay away from her from now on, that's what they're all saying, right?"

"Yeah, good idea..."

She didn't entirely appreciate being gossiped about and hurriedly closed the door. Those girls she once called her friends seemed wary to approach her, knowing that she had been subject to a demon attack. Lucy sat on the edge of her bed and held her head in her hands. Now that her life was to return to normal, it didn't feel like it would.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door and Lucy glanced up. "...Who is it?"

"It's me!" exclaimed a muffled, cheerful voice.

She sprang up from her bed and went to the door, opening it to reveal another girl who stayed at the convent who was grinning widely at her. Lucy croaked out, "...Chloe?"

"Lucy!" Chloe flung her arms around her, "I'm so glad you're back! It's so boring without you around. I was so worried for you and I missed you so much!"

"Chloe, I missed you too."

"They're saying all sorts of weird things about you but I refuse to believe it," Chloe said, fuming somewhat, "They're telling me to stay away from you because you've come in contact with evil things."

"Well, I..."

Catching on as to how uncomfortable Lucy seemed, Chloe pouted a little. "Oh, I'm sorry, you've just come back and all...I er, I should go."

Lucy shook her head. Some company would be nice. "No, it's okay, I'm fine. Sit down, I'll tell you everything."

"Thanks, Luce." Chloe slipped into her room with a wide grin, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Vergil had been resting in Hag's shack.

She'd given him the last batch of her leaf treatment and he was now waiting to fully recover. With Yamato at his side, he opened his eyes when he felt the ground beneath him tremble slightly. It was the compass, which he'd placed across from him. The dial was spinning around and around uncontrollably.

"What." He snarled, "What is it?"

Finally, the compass went to a stop, pointing rigidly to the east. His eyebrows furrowed in response and he chose to ignore it. Suddenly, Hag entered his view, limping across the lounge to reach the kitchen. She took one look at him and sighed, then shoved a hand into her withered pockets of her rags and held something out. It was a pendant with a shrunken demon head dangling off it.

"Here. I found this in the woods today." She said.

"I have no use for that." was his cold reply.

"You gave it to her." Hag muttered, before she tossed it towards his direction. He made no move to catch it and let it bounce a foot or so before it came to a rolling stop by his knees. "She loved it."

* * *

It would be late at night and Lucy could not get to sleep. She'd spent the evening talking to Chloe about Vergil, Dante, Bones, the demons and when she was deafblind. Chloe had soaked it all in one sitting with no revulsion whatsoever, nor did she accuse Lucy of making it up. She felt much, much better after venting out what had happened to her. From being called the 'mate' of a complete and utter stranger wrapped in bandages and wielding a blade, to the jovial devil hunter with a sarcastic demon for a companion, to the eccentric, immortal witch called Hag, and to the part when she was almost eaten alive by the spider demon who Bones then literally squished in a matter of seconds.

However, sleep evaded her; she heard a noise and sat up. It was the same noise as the one she heard when she got taken away. Afraid, she crawled out of bed and tiptoed quietly to her door, easing it open slightly so she could peek through. The hallway light was on and was filled with the continuous sounds of shuffling; she saw the girls from the convent in their nightdresses, walking dazedly in a straight line, heading towards the stairs. All of them appeared to have a glazed expression on their faces.

_What's going on? _She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. _I should call Dante - _

"Lucy."

She stepped away from the door as soon as Father Johnstone appeared in view, peering at her through the crack of the door with a sinister smile. "F-father?!" She exclaimed in shock.

He opened the door fully and entered her room; Johnstone was a hulking dark figure at her doorway from the lights in the hall, and she could make out a pair of glowing, amber eyes. "You shouldn't be awake at this hour, Lucy. You're a bad girl."

Despite her trembling, she managed to growl out, "You're not Johnstone. Who are you? _What_ are you?"

He raised a brow. "...Impressive."

"Just because you look like him doesn't mean you are him."

With that, the man before her let out a bark of laughter before settling his eyes on her form. Her dread intensified when she saw his amber eyes.

"It was you." She said, "You took me away that night. Why? Who are you? What do you want from me?!"

As he reached for her, she tried to fight back but was ultimately overpowered. He sighed once he had her in his grip and glanced around the rest of the room – the bookshelf was overturned and so was her chair - and he said, "The exact same thing happened that night too. Don't you learn? No matter how much you fight, you won't win." The impostor grabbed her by the neck, hoisting her up in the air a feet or so, causing her to gasp out. "You see, my dear... at first, I really wanted Vergil's beautiful sword... and thought I'd be able to use you to negotiate, but then I decided that wouldn't be productive back then after seeing how easy it was for him to defeat those lesser demons. So now I'm going after the next best thing – his mate. When the demon king sees what I have done, he will reward me tremendously."

The impostor dragged her by the throat out of her room and into the hallway, marching past the other girls and down the stairs. Still struggling in his grip, Lucy fought and wriggled until he slapped her hard across the cheek and seized her by the hair. She cried out and he dragged her all the way down to the ground floor before they arrived at Johnstone's office; they would pass numerous mutilated bodies of the priests and nuns along the way. He opened the door to reveal the room where a pentagram with various symbols within was sketched over the floorboards in what appeared to look like blood. A chalky white candle was lit at each point of the star. The impostor would then dump her to the side for the time being to mutter an incantation and a portal appeared, which had her eyes widening for the umpteenth time. Meanwhile, a mangled corpse in one corner dressed in priest robes made her emit a choked sob.

"You killed Father Johnstone...You killed them all..." She sobbed, as he reached for her again. "No! Let go!" She kicked and fought relentlessly; he was going to throw her into the portal!

As she continued to struggle, he grabbed her by the back of the neck and slammed her head face down against the floor. She went unconscious immediately from the impact and slumped over the floor. "Annoying, filthy little human." The demon grunted, before he threw a glance over his shoulder. The other girls had convened outside, all shuffling in one by one before they came to a stand-still. "Well, what are you waiting for?!" He snarled.

Under his spell, he had them enter the portal and counted them before picking up Lucy again. There were a total of twelve girls. Glancing down at the unconscious Lucy, she made thirteen.

...

Lucy woke up to something that sounded like someone choking. She would see Johnstone – or the demon that had impersonated him – slitting the throat of a girl with a knife before her eyes. The girl in his grasp went limp, eyes wide, and he dropped her and she collapsed to the floor in a puddle of blood over the stone floor, her white nightdress stained with red. Lucy gasped in horror and tried to move as Johnstone proceeded onto his next victim, only to find that she was unable to. Whatever spell she was under had forbidden her movement entirely.

She came to a stop when there was the foul, overwhelming stench of blood in the air. Wherever she was, she wasn't even sure. It looked like a large, underground cave of some sorts. Another pentagram was drawn on the ground with more candles, followed with blood from Johnstone's victims seeping into it. She heard him slit another girl's throat but was unable to look away at the sound of the helpless gurgling noises. THUMP. Another body dropped to the ground. He'd already killed five. The blood pouring from his victims were trickling slowly towards the middle of the pentagram as though some force was controlling it. The girl next in line was Chloe and she realized he must have the entire convent under his clutches.

"No, stop..." Lucy tried to make her jaw move. Her words came out in garbled nonsense. "Chloe...wake up...No, don't...Get away from her! Stop it!"

Johnstone ignored her but threw a despicable smirk at her direction. She held back a sob as she heard him coo at the unmoving, hypnotized girl, smooth at her hair and run his hand over her cheek for a second or so before he drew the damp blade over her neck. There was the horrible noise of flesh tearing and Chloe tumbled to the ground as he let go of her.

"NO!" Lucy sobbed loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks. She let out a wail of anguish as Johnstone stepped over the dead girl and moved onto the next. Four girls, including herself, were left...

As Lucy wept, she couldn't fathom what was going around her anymore. An icy numbness took over her, having witnessed the bloodshed. However, she did hear a giant explosion along with Dante's voice and suddenly, she could move, the spell breaking. Lucy dropped to the ground on her knees, gasping and trembling for breath. She was drenched in cold sweat, her heart thundering.

There was a grip on her arm and she cried out in alarm, only to come face to face with a woman with mismatched eyes and dark hair. "Hey, snap out of it!" said the woman. "Are you okay?"

The woman's tone was rough to match the way how she was shaking her and Lucy briefly snapped out of her shock but found that she was not able to form words.

"You're okay now." The woman pointed to the side where Dante was battling the demonic Johnstone who was now resembling more of an insect than a human.

Lucy struggled out of her grip and crawled over to the fallen Chloe, who – to her utter amazement – was still alive. "_Chloe!_"

Chloe was trembling over the ground, blood pouring from her wound uncontrollably. She caught Lucy's gaze and held it, whilst Lucy tried miserably to stop the blood from flowing using her hands, only to become drenched in blood that was not her own. "W-w-why..." Chloe croaked out, "...Did you...c-come back...?"

Lucy froze. "...Chloe...?"

The dying girl suddenly went limp in her arms; her head tilting to the side, eyes open but dull and glassy.

"Look out!" The dark-haired woman suddenly shoved her away; Chloe tumbled out of her grasp and Lucy was sent spiraling over the ground to avoid a large demonic appendage protruding out from Johnstone's back. Lucy didn't even have the energy to get up; meanwhile, the woman charged over to her and lifted her off the ground, also accidentally getting herself covered in blood. It was then Lucy noticed the rocket launcher strapped to her back. Another demon hunter, perhaps? "Geez, you're hopeless, I need to get you outta here..."

With the young woman by her side, Lucy was guided out of the cave and towards the direction of a makeshift portal that connected to the convent. She could see Johnstone's room on the other side. However, before they arrived, a blue blur suddenly appeared in front of them from nowhere, causing both to stop in their tracks.

Vergil.

He turned round to face them slowly, before his piercing blue eyes landed on their forms. "_Mary_. What a quaint surprise."

The dark-haired woman frowned at him fiercely, "Wh...what the...what the hell are **_you_** doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same question myself." Vergil murmured, before his gaze averted to the bloodstained Lucy, noticing the blank look on her face.

"Get outta our way!" Mary barked at him, and to her surprise he stepped to the side.

"Where is Dante?" He asked, and the devil hunter jabbed a thumb behind her without another word. Vergil would move past Mary and Lucy, but then he stopped and threw a glance over his shoulder. "I will return for you." He said softly.

Mary blinked wide-eyed before turning to Lucy, elbowing her roughly. "...I think he was talking to you." But her comment gathered no reply; Mary glanced at her and waved a hand in front of Lucy's face; the girl continued staring vacantly into space...

...


	13. Chapter 13

First off, I think a proper thank you from myself should be in order for the reviews I've received...I have a bad habit of responding to reviews made like, two chapters ago or something. Sorry. Usually I tend to keep author's notes short so I'm not taking up space with my ramblings but here goes anyway. Thanks to everyone who has offered me encouragement and support. I read all your reviews very thoroughly and if I had an emoji with the tears running down its eyes I would use that to show how I am feeling right now. You've given me the strength to continue this fic and also get off my lazy ass back into gear and write some more.

This story was published back in January and since its December now updates were extremely scarce but you have all stuck with me since and for that I am sincerely grateful and so happy to see your response. Plus, this board is quite dead - I might've not updated for a week and this story would still in the first page so I hope I am providing a good service of keeping you loaded with Vergil x OC (albeit slowly, because its a slo-mance).

I will occasionally have a rant every now and then, but hopefully they won't be so often. I'm sorry if you are reading this and having a shit day. Usually when I have a shit day I go for a hot chocolate or something, but I hope my updates and this story in general cheers you up! :)

Anyway I probably will not be uploading anytime soon until after the new year so Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2016! x

* * *

_"Everybody's damaged._

_It's just a question of how badly,_

_and whether you're healing or still bleeding."_

...

...

Lucy was left on her own whilst Mary, Dante and Vergil went to contend with the demon. She was left in the dark and gloomy office with the bloody pentagram and Johnstone's mangled corpse in the corner. She was undoubtedly shaken, as flashes of what she'd just witnessed replayed in her mind over and over again.

It would feel like an eternity until Dante and Mary would emerge from the portal, followed by Vergil. "Bro, you even said '_Jackpot_!' at the end! High five!" Dante could be heard exclaiming, before he would raise his hand high in anticipation only to elicit a mere growl of irritation from his older twin. All were soaked in blood, except Vergil.

Meanwhile, Mary scoffed in response as she spotted the idle Lucy. "Hey, I think you guys are forgetting something..."

"Huh? Oh. Heya Luce..." Dante said with a grin, reaching for her.

However, just before Dante reached her, she stepped backwards. "Stay away from me, all of you!" It seemed her voice had returned but those were definitely words she didn't want to say but they flowed out of her mouth uncontrollably.

Dante's eyes widened considerably at her response. "Luce, what's gotten into you – "

"Leave me alone! Don't come any closer!"

"Sheesh, we just saved your life from that demon, brat. A little gratitude would be nice." Mary said, crossing her arms over her chest.

She was joined by Dante, who also crossed his arms over his chest. "It's fine, she's just shocked, that's all."

"Just leave me alone from now on!" She turned and marched away, leaving Johnstone's office and into the corridor, passing all the blood and mangled bodies as she stepped into the hallway. She was unaware of Vergil's gaze which was on her the entire time...

...

There was a knock on the door and a few minutes later, it opened and Dante stepped inside, glancing around. It was the only room in the convent with the light on so he figured this was her room.

"Uh... Luce? Are you okay?"

There was no response; she was busy packing her things in two large bags, grabbing her belongings from her overturned bookshelf and desk; there were clothes lying strewn all over the floor and bed along with a few pair of shoes. Dante had to step around them carefully to reach her as she packed her bags with her back to him.

When he reached her, he heard her sigh and her shoulders dropped, before she turned to him and put down the t-shirt in her hands. "...I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I didn't mean what I said and-and I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry."

"S'okay...I understand. You were in shock. Most people don't survive demon attacks. And those that do, they usually get sent to the mental hospital a couple of days later - " He paused, "Er, I mean...listen, I'm not really good at this stuff... Bones was better at this than I am."

She sighed heavily. "...It's okay, Dante. I appreciate it. Thank you."

He tried to grin. "You gonna be okay?" He asked, but his reply was a blank stare. He looked at the nasty bruise on her forehead, the red marks on her neck and cheek. Lucy really had taken quite a beating from the demon earlier on. Being half-devil meant he healed quickly so he'd developed quite a high tolerance to pain. However, Lucy was human. "You want some ice for that?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'll be okay."

"Lemme tell you a secret."

"What secret?"

"Vergil killed that nasty demon. After he found out what happened, it was like he was possessed. I mean, Verge is usually so serious and stuff, but back there? Man, you shoulda seen it. He was like - " Dante paused to sweep his hair away from his eyes and tightened his brows as he could for his best impersonation of Vergil. With a deep frown, he even lowered his voice a few octaves. "_For harming my woman, I'll ensure you suffer deeply_."

Lucy tilted her head to the side. "...Really? He...said that?"

He messed his hair again, letting it fall over his eyes messily. "Mm-hmm, something along those lines anyway."

"Oh."

"I think he likes you. A lot."

"What makes you think that?"

"Cos he tends to look at things he likes for a long time - and he looks at you _a lot_." Dante said, "Besides, why else would he be here?"

She contemplated his words.

Dante added, "Vergil will treat you well. I know that much about him."

"...But he's so cold towards me."

"He's cold to everybody. He's like that. He doesn't express emotions well."

"I don't think I've seen him express much emotion at all."

"No, he gets angry."

"Yeah, I've seen it."

"And he gets annoyed."

"Yeah, that too."

"And then he can get rippin' pissed."

"Okay, so that's a lot of negative emotions...what about..._happiness_? Has he ever been happy?"

Dante would stare vacantly into space for a while, then - "Huh...I don't really know."

"Does he get upset?"

"Vergil? Upset? No way. Wait, I think I did make him sulk a bit once...but this was a long time ago when we were kids." Dante muttered, ruffling his hair, "You know what? This is a weird conversation."

"It is. Vergil probably wouldn't appreciate us talking about him behind his back."

Dante chuckled loudly, "Hah! Lucy, I take it you must really like my bro too."

She cringed. "Um - "

"Hehe, it's okay. I knew that somewhere in this world, some schmuck's gotta love 'im."

"Did you just call me a 'schmuck'?"

"I meant it in a good way."

Unamused, Lucy emitted a heavy sigh. She was too tired to verbally fight back or anything.

"Right, no more talkin' about Verge." Dante grabbed her alarm clock that was lying on the floor and scrutinized it. It was 1am in the morning. He gestured flimsily to the rest of her room. "So, what will you do about all this?"

Lucy sighed and grabbed the t-shirt again. "This place...it makes me sick being here, knowing what happened. I won't come back here ever again...and I don't care what happens to it. I just wanna get out of here as fast as I can. I'm not staying here a second longer." She spotted a photoframe on the ground which was smashed – a photo of herself and Chloe was slotted inside, smiling widely at the camera. Lucy hesitated for a moment before picking it up.

He gave her a lopsided look as she took the photo out and put it inside her bag. "You got a place to crash?"

Lucy shook her head.

"You could stay at my place. My shop's just on the outskirts of town."

"I can't. I shouldn't." She said abruptly, "I can manage, Dante, but thank you for the offer."

He gave her a testing look even though she gave him a firm nod. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to go on your own after what happened today. I need to talk with Verge about all of this too. You're all connected some way or the other."

"Because of the demon that impersonated Father Johnstone?" She asked, and he nodded. Now that he mentioned it, now did seem like the good time to get the answers to the questions she had. "Dante, what was he? And why did he kill everyone? Was it really because of me? He did say he wanted Vergil's sword first, which was why he took me away in the first place...then he tried to use me to get at Vergil again."

He squatted down beside her and ruffled her hair with his hand. "He was after Verge, so don't take it personal."

"But why did he kill everyone else? It was like he was trying to conduct some kind of ritual, too."

"...Mundus."

"Mundus?"

"I'll leave Verge to explain to ya."

She frowned somewhat. That's what Hag said to her too...

"But don't blame yourself for what happened tonight. Don't ever think of that, okay?"

She nodded weakly. "S-sure..."

"Alright." He raised his hand; she looked at him questionably then lifted her hand and they exchanged a mild high five. "Okay, now down low." When he lowered his palm, she followed his action but he pulled away before she reached him. With a grin, he said, "Too slow."

She let out a chuckle in response and he sighed in relief. "...Finally, you're smiling again."

"Thanks for cheering me up."

Lucy watched as Dante rose from the ground, ruffling her hair with his big palm, "For now, you're gonna stay at my place for a while. After Lady and I are done cleanin' up the place, I'll take ya."

"Okay." She watched him as he silently left the room. Once he was outside, Dante stood in the corridor and berated himself somewhat as he left Lucy to pack on her own. He didn't know what Vergil was doing, why his older twin was not going to see her. Ruffling a hand through his snowy-white hair in frustration, he left to join Lady at the library; he guessed not all missions ended positively after all...

...

Finally, they'd arrived at Devil May Cry.

Lucy left Dante's car whilst Dante helped grabbed her bags from the boot. Lady climbed out, dusting at her clothes and promptly marching inside without a second glance. Vergil was not with them, having disappeared from the group again once they left the convent. Dante wasn't worried about his twin's disappearance, however (he had a feeling he might appear later). He carried Lucy's bag up to the front door and let her enter first.

She glanced around the shop curiously.

Dante's place was very normal – except from the numerous demon heads mounted on the wall along with the strange weapons that were emitting strange auras. His decor was plain, with dirty brown floorboards along with beige-white walls that were in need of repairs. A red couch stood in one corner whilst a pool table stood in the other. There were random objects scattered around the place, namely the refrigerator that stuck like a sore thumb between a barrage of cleaning supplies along with a non-functioning jukebox and TV. At the far end of the shop were Dante's desk and chair and a black, old-fashioned telephone. There was a door leading to a bathroom which was visible, and then the stairs to the left indicated the bedroom.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Dante said with a grin, and she nodded.

"Where's Bones? Did you take her home already?"

"Nah." He gestured to a devil arm hanging on his wall, "She's over there."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "...She became a dish?"

"Ha! See, that's what I thought too!"

"No you didn't, you said 'yoyo'." said a disembodied voice from the dish; when Lucy stared at it in bewilderment, it said, "And I'm a_ scythe_ by the way. Hello Lucy, it's me, Bones. I took this form to be of more use to Dante."

"Hi Bones. You look great."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, that'll probably take some time gettin' used to." Dante murmured as he passed her, placing her bags on the floor next to the sofa. Meanwhile, Lady went to his desk and pulled out a drawer, ransacking it. "Hey! Whaddya think you're doing, you crazy lady!? Stop that right now!"

"I'm taking my share!" was Lady's response.

And Dante was off; Lucy watched helplessly as they began bickering then she moved to sit down on the sofa, drained from today's events. It didn't seem like they would stop until Lady decided to take leave. By then, a good half hour had passed and Lucy had almost fallen asleep on the sofa. She awoke when there was a rough nudge on her shoulder and she opened her eyes to see Dante before her.

"Hey, uh... sorry you had to see that. I'll show you your room."

"...Sure." She mumbled blearily as she got up and trailed after him.

He went upstairs and strolled past his bedroom – she could see inside because he left the door open and it was an utter and complete mess – Dante went to a closed door at the far end of the hall and tried the doorknob. It did not move. He tried again with a bit more strength only for the knob to come falling off entirely. "Urgh. Okay. Step back." He said, as he tossed the rusted doorknob over his shoulder without a second glance.

Lucy did as she was told and Dante kicked the door open. It swung open finally, from the long years of disuse and poor maintenance and then flopped off its hinges and dropped to the floor.

"Whoops." She could hear Dante mumbling under his breath; Lucy gazed at the broken door as he stepped into the room without further ado and lifted the door up.

"Hey Luce, try the light for me, will ya?"

"Sure." She flipped the switch but nothing happened – except from a dull, fizzing, crackling noise and she glanced at the dusty lightbulb above them. It flickered on for a moment or so before dying out completely. They were completely bathed in darkness save for the light from downstairs.

"Sorry, I shoulda really kept this room in better shape. I don't usually have guests."

"It's okay, Dante." Lucy said, glancing around. The room was small and the atmosphere was clogged and dusty – maybe from all the years of being kept shut with no proper use. She saw a bed, a chair and a rickety bedside table and nothing else.

"You know what - you take my room and I'll sleep on the sofa." Dante suggested, but she shook her head.

"Dante, this is fine. I'll take it. Thank you for everything." Lucy said. She was probably better off finding her own accommodation but she was happy that he had given her a place to stay.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Dante grinned and she mustered a smile in response. "Okay, so the can's downstairs in the back. Don't flush and use the shower at the same time. Just to let you know 'cold' comes out of 'hot' and vice versa - and my room is back there. I'll get the door fixed for ya soon."

She thanked him again as he waddled out. Lucy was on her own; she wasn't sure how she could get dressed without a door since the room was so small it didn't warrant much space. She decided to take a shower first and headed downstairs with her folded pajamas in hands. Dante was at his desk, seemingly taking a phonecall whilst the Bones-turned-scythe was silent – sleeping, perhaps? Once Lucy finished her shower in the bathroom, she saw a half-naked Dante stretched over his sofa with a can in hand. Two more empty cans were lying on the coffee table along with another six cans of unopened booze.

"Beer?" He called over his shoulder, but she shook her head.

"I'm going to sleep." She said, checking the clock on the wall. It was three am.

He shrugged and said, "G'night, Luce."

"Goodnight Dante."

He heard Lucy retreating upstairs and into her room. He took a few sips of his beer until the front door opened quietly and there stood none other than Vergil. This would be the first time he'd stepped foot into Dante's home. "Hey bro, where've you been?"

"Nowhere that concerns you." was his twin's icy response.

"Fair enough. Siddown then."

Vergil glanced around the interior of Devil May Cry, scanning his surroundings until his eyes landed on the half-naked Dante who was still casually drinking his beer. He strolled over and took a seat on the other end of the sofa away from his twin. Both brothers sat in silence, the clock ticking loudly on the wall, until –

"Been a long time, huh?" Of course, it would be Dante to break the silence this time.

"Yes, it has."

"Beer?"

"No, thank you." Vergil murmured, glancing around his shop. "This is a pitiful excuse for accommodation."

"Hey! This is my home you're talkin' about!"

"...Hn, yes. Indeed. I expected nothing more from the likes of you, little brother. This hovel suits you perfectly."

Dante growled, "No-one asked for your opinion."

Vergil smirked.

Again, the silence returned for a while until -

"You ever think about mom?" Dante slurred out; there was a prominent redness to his cheeks – he was definitely intoxicated to a certain degree.

"...Why are you bringing this up, Dante?"

He shrugged. "Just curious. I got a picture of her on my desk if you wanna see." He said, and Vergil glanced at his desk to see the back of a photoframe standing by the phone but said nothing in response. "And dad? You think about him?"

"Not often."

"Really? I do."

"This is a pointless conversation, Dante. This is not a time to reminisce."

Dante shrugged again. It must definitely be the alcohol for he said, "I miss them. Sometimes I think about what they'd say if...they saw us fightin' all the time and stuff... I bet mom'll be really mad...Have you met Trish yet? Yeah, I think you may have – no wait... I dunno...I don't think you have. Damn, she's like this...mom-lady. I mean, she's this lady that looks like mom...she's even got long, blond hair that goes all the way to her butt. And she wears these tight, skinny leather pants and corsets. They're so tight on her I sometimes think she might fall over or somethin'."

"Is that so."

"Yeah."

"From your description, you seem to harbor impure thoughts about this 'Trish'."

"WHAT?! **NO!**"

Again, Vergil smirked.

"Listen, bro. Mundus initially created her to mess with me...Didn't you know?"

"No, I'm not aware."

"Well, she might pop by soon...she does that a lot, but she's not like Lady where she keeps yelling at me and take my money...no, wait, she's just as bad, buying all these designer crap and putting it under my name... Oh...by the way, when you were downstairs...what happened? What happened to you that you became like...like this?" Dante said, gesturing to Vergil's bandaged head.

"Hellfire."

"Damn, no wonder you're all... burned and shit."

"Yes, that is what fire typically does to someone."

"That's, I mean...What will you do about Mundus, Verge?"

"I can deal with him on my own."

"Do you need my help?"

The older twin's response was instantaneous. "No."

"Why not?" He moaned, "No fair...You sure you don't need me?"

"_Yes_."

"...Well, I think she needs you, Verge." Dante said, gesturing upstairs. Vergil followed the direction he was pointing to, his gaze landing on the door-less bedroom.

"She is upstairs?"

Dante scoffed. "I think you already know the answer to that question." A sly grin then appeared on his face, "You know...the door to her room broke earlier, so if you really wanted to, you could just jump riiiiight into bed with her – " He was interrupted by Vergil slicing the beer can in half and Dante jumped as the brown liquid spilled all over his lap and all over the sofa and floor. Now he seemed sober, "What the hell! These were my best pants!"

Vergil grunted in response as Dante glared at him before he tossed the half-can away, made a grab for Rebellion, and in a matter of moments both were clashing with their swords – Vergil leapt backwards into the air and Dante jumped onto the sofa after him, swinging Rebellion in his arms. Evading Dante's assault, Vergil stopped at the pool table, glanced at it, then tipped it a foot off the ground with one hand and with a hefty kick, sent it somersaulting at Dante's direction. The younger twin sliced it in half with a growl and the pieces of the table went crashing against the wall.

Meanwhile, Lucy jerked from her sleep from the loud noise downstairs and hurried out of her room and into the landing. "Dante, what's – " She paused when she saw the twins downstairs.

Dante and Vergil stopped at once. "Oh, hey Luce, didn't mean to wake ya." said the younger twin, grinning at the half-asleep girl. "Look, Vergil's here."

She averted her gaze to Dante then to Vergil. He was watching her beadily behind his bandages the entire time. "Why are you fighting?" She said. Remembering what Dante had told her earlier, she shifted her gaze from him, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Uh..." Dante rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "We...er..." Come to think of it, he had forgotten why they were fighting until it swam back into his mind: _Oh yeah, the beer can! _

"Can you stop?"

Dante nodded wildly, "I can never say 'no' to that cute face." And she blushed slightly in response. Vergil was the first to put away his weapon, followed by Dante who merely tossed Rebellion back into its stand that was fixed to the wall. "Sorry babe, won't happen again."

"Thanks." She returned to her room without another word.

The shop fell silent once more as Dante went over to his destroyed pool table, lifting the two halves and depositing them in the corner for the time being. Vergil took the time to scan the rest of Dante's shop, staring at his collection of Devil arms until Dante rejoined his side. "You gonna stay? I guess you could take the storeroom – "

"That won't be necessary." Vergil uttered; then he made his way upstairs and entered Lucy's room.


	14. Chapter 14

Happy new year everyone! Hope you all had a great Christmas!

* * *

_"Families are messy._

_Immortal families are eternally messy._

_Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we're related for better or for worse..._

_and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum."_

...

...

Lucy had fallen right back to sleep the moment she returned to her room, and now she was having a nightmare. She was back in the cave and she couldn't move, just like when the impostor had her under his spell - she saw the girls from the convent standing in a horizontal line before her with their eyes closed – before Lucy could make sense out of this, a thin horizontal red slit appeared across their throats from nowhere and blood began pouring from their necks. Their complexions were chalky white and suddenly they rose off the ground, hovering, and their bodies came closer and closer to her.

_No, stay back!_ She wanted to scream those words but she found she could not speak.

Once they were close enough, Lucy screamed and squeezed her eyes shut. When nothing happened, she re-opened her eyes slowly and saw no-one else but Chloe.

_Chloe...?_

Just like the other girls, a thin red line appeared across Chloe's throat and her body began to close in on her. Lucy shook her head fiercely, sobbing. As soon as Chloe was close enough, the corpse's arms suddenly jerked into life, reaching for her, and then her mouth stretched open and maggots came wriggling out of her mouth, dropping off the roof of her gums and down her chin and -

Lucy yelped and woke up with a jerk in bed; her eyes were wide as she glanced around the darkness, drenched in cold sweat...

\- and suddenly there was a grip on her shoulder – she was about to scream until a hand clamped over her mouth and she came face to face with Vergil; he was a little too close for comfort and it seemed he felt that way too - he let go of her and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and pulled the duvet closer to herself.

"What are you doing in my room?" She squeaked out.

"I was keeping watch." Vergil said simply; he returned to the chair and crossed his arms with Yamato near him.

Lucy rubbed at her eyes tiredly, still half-asleep. "What time is it?" She was in danger of falling asleep in mid-sentence there, her eyelids drooping.

"It's almost dawn."

She hadn't slept for a long time even though it felt like she had. "Oh." The room fell into silence with Lucy sitting up in bed with her knees tucked to her chest and her worn gaze on her lap. "Why did you come here?"

"My business with Hag is finished, so I left to find new bearings."

"...I never got to say goodbye to her."

"If you want to see that witch again you're more than welcome to return to the woods, if you make it out alive, that is."

She glanced at him tiredly in response, "Are you staying here?"

"For a while."

She had to resist from verbally demonstrating her opinion on that matter. She couldn't believe he would be staying here – then again, he _was _Dante's brother... With a raised brow, she muttered, "Why are you in my room? Didn't Dante give you one?"

"He did, I chose not to take it."

It took a while to sink in and Lucy threw her gaze to her lap. "...Vergil?"

"Yes?"

Speaking to him was identical to treading on thin ice. "You've never really told me who you are."

"What is there to know?"

"I don't know anything about you. Dante told me that your father is Sparda and that you guys fight a lot."

In that case Dante seemed to have summed up everything in a nutshell. He generally preferred that she didn't know much about him. "What else do you want to know?" He asked.

"Who's Mundus?"

"The ruler of the Underworld. He was defeated by my father."

Her eyes widened slightly when the words slid from his mouth so casually. She remembered Dante telling their dad defending and protecting humans from Mundus and demons, and he had told her all about demons and how he fought Vergil a long time ago atop a tower called the Temen-ni-gru; Vergil was then lost to the demon realm and did not return until Dante fought him on Mallet Island as _Nelo Angelo_. Apparently Vergil was completely brainwashed by Mundus...

Vergil continued, "I was his..."

She waited for him but he did not finish his sentence therefore she suggested, "Underling? Slave? Minion?"

His fist curled somewhat. Giving her a sharp look, she went quiet again. "As Nelo Angelo, I challenged Dante and when he emerged victorious I was recalled by Mundus and punished. I was to be burned eternally by hellfire. I had no memories or recollection of who I was."

"But you escaped and you regained your memories."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

Everyone seemed to ask him this. He stiffened somewhat then grudgingly said, "...I woke up."

"You woke up?"

"Yes, must you repeat what I say."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry for my impoliteness, go on." She said derisively, and he shot her another dark look before slowly rising from his seat, moving towards her. Lucy immediately shrunk as he loomed over her. "Uh, what are you - "

He grabbed her chin and made her look up at him which effectively silenced her. Although it was dark, he could see some of her features from the moonlight outside. "You are an imprudent little human." He muttered, turning her face to one side then to the other. It was hard to believe that _this_ was what woke him up. What kind of power did she hold anyway? From what he could gather, she really wasn't as simple as he had believed initially. He could hear her swallowing loudly, her heart thumping. He let go of her then, returning to his seat and she was left to rub at her chin. His touch had been surprisingly gentle.

It went quiet in the room again and she glanced at him. "So...aren't you gonna tell me what happened next?"

He crossed his arms, turning to her. "I escaped, and I have not gone unnoticed. Mundus will be amassing forces as we speak. I need more power to defeat him, to become even stronger than I am now, so I went to find one of my father's crypts to find a new means to achieve power. I heard about a compass that my father had entrusted to me which was foretold to bestow great power to its bearer. And then I encountered you." He omitted the glutton demon for good reasons.

_Encountered. Makes me sound like I'm some kind of wild animal..._ She said, "Dante defeated Mundus; you could ask him for help."

"I will deal with Mundus on my own. This doesn't concern anyone else."

"That's understandable... What will you do now? Find more of your father's crypts?"

"Yes. I aim to leave soon."

"Oh...I see."

"I believe this conversation has been sufficient enough. Any more questions?"

"What does the Underworld look like?"

"Visually, it is hard to describe. But what I experienced is difficult to forget; I remember pain, isolation, desolation...the epitome of suffering."

Now she was truly scared.

He smirked, noticing how quiet she'd become again. "The Underworld is enough to drive one to the brink of insanity and madness."

_It's a good thing he's intact. Or is he? He must've seen all sorts of weird and disturbing creatures in his life... _"How did you escape?"

"A portal. It was not an easy feat. I found where they had kept my sword and the rest of my belongings and I killed hundreds of legions to get here."

Lucy contemplated his words. _He's been through a lot. I can't believe this is happening...here is a guy before me who is a half-devil and literally crawled out from the fiery pits of hell...It's so surreal..._ "Where do I fit in with all this? Can I help at all?"

He drew a breath. Mate. She was his mate. She just _had_ to pop up now. "Your usefulness at this stage is beyond my knowledge. From the events so far, you certainly have proved that you are not of any significance to me."

She frowned, cheeks reddening. "I-I didn't mean it that way!"

"Humans will always be the target of demon attacks. Unfortunately you were a victim of one recently. Perhaps your priority should be the victims and their unjustly deaths. My brother will deal with any explanations they require."

It took her a while to reply. "...I know; I am dealing with the memorial service." Lucy mumbled, "Then I'll probably...find a job or something."

With that, the conversation seemed to be over.

Their paths were too diverse.

Vergil escaped from hell and was on the road to defeat Mundus once and for all. He was to seek out more power.

She was to return to her life without demons...find a flat, get a job...

_Huh, now everything sounds dull when you put it that way,_ she thought, as Vergil rose to stand and she watched as he began to leave the room. "Wait. Where are you going?" She asked. He stopped in his pace, but did not turn round fully. Instead, he gave her a small glance over his shoulder. She couldn't see the rest of his features from his bandages, but his blue eyes shone in the darkness. She added, albeit a little hesitantly, "You're always going somewhere. Could you stay? Just for now?"

Vergil said nothing. She thought he would leave until he returned to his seat. Lucy watched him as he sat down, careful not to sit on his coattails. Then she hurriedly delved under the covers, taking care to wrap herself entirely with the thin blanket. She heard him shuffling slightly and it went silent. Slowly poking her head out of the covers, she glanced over to see him staring at her. Immediately, she ducked back under the covers again, her heart pounding. It made her a little anxious, knowing he was watching her, but at the same time she was happy that he was here.

* * *

Lucy was an early bird but on this occasion she slept until noon. She would wake up feeling itchy (...could be bedbugs...). Daylight poured into the room from the dusty window and she glanced over at the empty chair by the bed; inwardly, she wondered if Vergil appearing to her last night was only a dream. It probably was. Shrugging, she shifted to lie on her back and put a hand to her forehead, which was warm, but the blanket _was_ wrapped tightly around her like a cocoon. With a sigh, Lucy proceeded to shimmy her way out of the cocoon-blanket and roll out of bed, then she shuffled out of the room with messy hair, eyes half-open and dried drool over one corner of her mouth, and moved sluggishly onto the landing.

"Good morning."

"Mornin'." She said drearily, passing the older twin on the way towards the stairs.

_Wait a minute. _Eyes wide, she whirled round to see Vergil stopping at Dante's room to peer inside, where he could see his twin sprawled over his bed with his head face-down on the pillow, albeit demonstrating the uncanny ability to snore loudly that it resonated throughout the entire shop. Vergil's brows scrunched up in disgust at the sight before he would close the door and then turn to her. Lucy stared at him wide-eyed, then realized the state she'd woken up in and rushed down the stairs and into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Vergil could only smirk.

Lucy would then re-emerge from the bathroom to see Vergil at the couch, reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee on the table. The sight was bizarre in many ways more than one.

"Are you done?" said Vergil, without looking over his shoulder. Meanwhile, Bones the Scythe was fast asleep on the wall and oblivious to their conversation. "You won't accomplish much with staring."

Lucy cringed and sidled out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "Vergil?" She had to think twice about what she was going to say next, "Did you have breakfast?"

"No."

"Do you want any breakfast?"

"You won't find much." came Vergil's mere reply as she went over to the fridge, "My brother apparently sustains himself on nothing but alcohol and junk food."

"I hope he won't mind..." Lucy muttered, as she opened the door to Dante's refrigerator and indeed, all she saw was dozens of beer cans lined in oddball fashion and old pizza slices with all toppings ranging from pepperoni, meat feast and triple cheese. There was nothing else edible within. It was a bit of a waste of a fridge, really. She bit her lip and turned to the blue-clad twin who picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, averting his cool gaze to her. She knew she had his full attention and she pointed to the door, "I think I might go out and get something – "

Suddenly, a half-naked Dante emerged from his room, yawning loudly. He was still dressed in yesterday's beer-stained pants. Once he spotted the duo downstairs, he grinned, "Oh, hey Verge, hey Luce."

"Morning Dante." Lucy was the only one to greet him. She caught an eyeful of his rippling physique in all its morning glory and found herself staring. Vergil would follow her gaze and discover the animosity he held towards his brother would suddenly increase tenfold for no apparent reason.

"What's goin' on?" Dante asked; he too, appeared as half-asleep as Lucy was.

"I'm going to make some breakfast." Lucy announced.

"Oh yeah? What are you going to make?"

"Uh...you don't really have anything else except from beer and pizza...and coffee, which is good... because that's breakfasty – "

"Breakfasty, HAAAH!" Dante doubled over, snorting with laughter and thumping his clenched fist over the railing that it shook. The urge to leave right here and now was surmounting for Vergil.

" - but I was thinking eggs and pancakes – "

Dante let out a whoop before she could finish. "You need cash, Luce?"

"No, I can manage."

The younger twin would disappear into his room again without another word but the door was still open. She couldn't see him from where she stood downstairs but watched the doorway in confusion until his pants came flying out and over the banister. Lucy turned away, realizing he was getting changed. Vergil finally sat up, closing the newspaper and turned to her.

"This might not be of surprise to you but my idiot brother has no manners or sense of dignity and for that, I apologize." He said.

Lucy cringed. How could they both be twins but be so different? "I'll go get ready." She mumbled, waddling past the older twin despondently as she hung her head low. She wasn't feeling so great since she woke up. She was still warm. She would only manage halfway up the stairs until she felt her legs grow weak.

Before she collapsed, a pair of strong arms caught her and she looked up into clear, gentle blue eyes. It was none other than Vergil. "Oh..." She uttered.

"Woman. What's wrong with you?"

But of course, despite gentle blue eyes, the words that escaped his mouth were ice.

Lucy struggled feebly in his grip. "...I don't feel so good."

He raised his hand, placing it gently against her forehead and she heard him let out a scoff. "Of course. A fever." She heard him utter next, "I forgot how susceptible humans were."

"Let...let go." She continued weakly, "You're touching me. Why are you touching me? I thought you hated humans..._hated me_. Hated everything about me."

"If I despised you so much I would've let you fall and break your neck." He uttered as he lifted her effortlessly into his arms.

Such macabre words. Lucy felt weak all over and tried to lift a hand to smack him as he carried her up. "Urgh..." Her arm fell limp, dropping to her side weakly. He smirked in response at her lack of strength.

Returning to her room, he scanned the tussled duvet on her bed before placing her gingerly over the mattress. The room was in poor shape but he preferred this room than Dante's. Instinctively, she curled into a ball and pulled the covers over herself, squeezing her eyes shut. Vergil reached and drew the blinds, causing the room to go dark. Suddenly, bumbling footsteps entered the room and Dante was at the doorway.

"What happened? Luce? What's wrong?" As usual, Dante was his loud, boisterous self.

"Keep your voice down." Vergil snapped at him, "She is unwell."

"Unwell?" Dante went over and put a hand over her forehead, then poked at her a little with his index finger. "She's burning up."

"Yes, good observation." said the older twin, frowning.

"So now what?" Being half-devils, Dante had never been ill before or came across anyone who was afflicted with illness. "I mean, we need to do something about it or it might get worse. Where's Hag when you need her?"

"We don't need that wench."

"Maybe she just needs rest."

"So you insist we leave her alone?"

"Yeah, or maybe she needs a cold shower – you know, to cool her off. You can take her clothes off and I'll hold her up in the bathtub - "

Dante was immediately chased out of the room by a summoned sword.

"I was just jokinggggggg!" He could be heard yelling as he fumbled down the stairs; the sword slammed into the wall of his shop and promptly disappeared but the crack on the wall was definitely there to stay. There was a loud scoff behind Vergil and he turned to see Bones in human form.

"Your lack of knowledge as to how to treat humans truly astounds me. Move aside, let the professional through." She declared. He didn't remember a bone demon being so high and mighty. Vergil raised a brow as Bones sidled past him and squatted down beside Lucy, taking her wrist in hers and pressing two fingers down, applying pressure. "Her pulse is weak. She needs nourishment. Has she eaten over the past couple of days?"

Vergil couldn't answer, partially because he couldn't really recall. Hell, when was the last time _he_ had a proper meal?

Dante returned upstairs but kept a safe distance from the room. Vergil was more than displeased with him but Dante said, "Bones, you know what to do?"

"Of course. My little sister Sophia was terribly ill. Her health was always poorly since she was born. I grew to learn to care for her _and_ prescribe her daily medication."

"What do you suppose we do?"

"Leeches."

There was a slight silence until Vergil said, "_Leeches_."

"Yes, we need leeches, maybe five or six, gathered from the shallows of a freshwater lake. They must be black and at least ten inches long. Once we have the leeches, we will then throw them all over her body and let the little blighters suck out all the bad energy – " Bones stopped when Vergil slid his gaze to the side, his brows furrowed tightly in disapproval whilst Dante cupped a palm over his mouth, sniggering. "What? What's so funny?"

Suddenly, there was a grip on her wrist and Bones turned to see Lucy. "Ibuprofen...I just need some...Ibuprofen..."


	15. Chapter 15

Thanks for the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

* * *

_"Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned." _

...

...

Dante and Bones went out to buy some medicine and some food. Naturally, Lucy needed more sustenance than alcohol and cold pizza. A list was compiled by Bones – she proclaimed them to be natural remedies which would cure Lucy's ailments - which only made Dante laugh even harder once he laid eyes on it. Apparently 'Rabbit stew' and 'Milk from a goat' was on the list at some point. Vergil was left to contend with the ill Lucy although he remained downstairs and she was upstairs, resting.

It irked him to no end.

He shouldn't be here.

He had no business to stay. He had finished his dealings with Hag and discovered that the compass was a dead end. The wench told him that was his father's secret weapon but somehow he had a fleeting penchant that she was lying. He didn't stay because he knew the Hag would not divulge any more information to him no matter what he did. He had kept the compass with him despite understanding its true reason for its existence and its connection to him and the human. How useless and inconvenient. He had to find a new lead now. He shouldn't be in his brother's shop but somewhere in an ancient library or up a snowy mountain somewhere, interrogating more fortune-telling demons for the next move.

But alas, Vergil found himself with no real sense of direction. He had believed his plans wouldn't end so quickly. How would he defeat Mundus now? How would he defeat Dante? He needed more power. He needed more weapons, devil arms, an amulet, a spell -

He rose from his seat, having recalled the name of a demonic seer. Not the glutton – he'd killed that one already – but he remembered there was another.

The door then opened, breaking him out of his thoughts, and Dante and his companion sauntered in, carrying brown paper bags. "Hey, Verge. How is she?"

"She's resting. I checked." He said.

Dante and Bones stared at him before glancing at each other from the corner of their eyes and smiling widely. Bones would be the first to make her way towards the direction of his kitchen. "Dante, stop gawking and let's unpack."

They'd bought the ibuprofen, cans of chicken and tomato soup, a loaf of bread, a tub of ice-cream and more beer (at Dante's insistence). Once they'd finished, they returned to see the lounge empty.

Vergil was missing.

...

He had teleported to a location he had never been to before.

Legends stated that the seer was a creature who lived alone in a treacherous, endless cave far away from human eyes and demons alike. He couldn't help but notice a recurring trend – the glutton demon lived atop a snowy landscape and Hag was secluded in a shack, surrounded by woodland. Vergil arrived at the cave entrance and studied the inviting darkness silently. It was cold and the wind was strong here, but the cave was silent when he stepped foot inside. Unsurprisingly, he saw torches fixed to the wall, indicating presence – human or demon. Several skeletons and corpses littered the ground as he ventured through the cold crawling path – lost humans, as usual. He could also see that their belongings were intact, indicating something about the creature that lived here. At least they were not devoured. He continued his journey until a figure lunged at him from the shadows and he drew his sword.

He fought off his assailant only to realize it was a demon and after dispatching the first with a slash of his blade, it disappeared in a puff of smoke and was replaced with a paper doll. Voodoo. He narrowed his eyes and as more shadow creatures came at him, he fought them all off and they dissipated with an ear-splitting shriek; he continued down the cave, fighting more of the strange creatures and coming across more cold corpses.

In order to prevent himself from getting lost, he used a summoned sword to mark the walls. Vergil frowned as the path went on and on and on, and when he finally came across one of his marks, he knew the cave was aware of his presence and his intrusion. Time didn't seem to exist here and the more he travelled, the more the light grew dim and the atmosphere grew toxic and suffocating. He pushed himself anyway, and came across another mark of his on the wall. Turning round, he saw that all the walls in his view now had marks and he undoubtedly had no knowledge of what path to take next.

With a snarl, he used Yamato and slashed at the wall, sending sparks flying.

However, before his very eyes, the wall went fuzzy and he frowned. An illusion. With his blade in hand, he brought it down and cut through – the illusion was shattered, exposing a dimly lit cavern that was furnished all over with chalky white candles, drapes and rugs. There was a bookcase and a low table before him was covered in books and scrolls and there was a rocky fireplace burning with an incense holder balanced atop the small boulders. A stone staircase to his left indicated another section of the cavern which he wasn't able to see, and to the right was a bird stand with a large vulture perched on top, sleeping. A fine melody was playing, a harp, from the sound of it, and he narrowed his eyes once more.

Strolling inside, he glanced around his surroundings and behind him, the wall closed up again. He whipped round sharpish, but when he heard a wheezy chuckle of laughter, he glanced over to the far end of the cave where he saw a figure with his back to him.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Son of Sparda." It was a woman's voice, and Vergil approached her.

When he stopped before her, she turned slowly and blood-red eyes met his own. She was a beautiful woman with long, raven hair, donned in black robes with a purple veil obscuring her nose and mouth. On her forehead was an intricate red symbol painted on and a glittering green jewel in the middle. They stared at each other for what appeared to be a long time until she let out another biting laugh which caused Vergil to raise a brow.

"You are..."

"You smell of that vile wench, Hag." said the girl; she lifted her fingers off one string of the harp and pointed at him with one long fingernail. "You were there."

He knew. "You must be the sorceress, Circe."

"The one and only."

"Hag failed to mention you were still alive."

"Then you would have come see me first, am I correct?" She let out a cackle and slowly got up, weaving her hand through a long strand of black hair. "It's been so long. Hag and I have much history, you know...she was my mentor...but I hated her self-righteous ways and she refused to teach me powerful magic. So, naturally you must know I chose to go down that path. Why have you come here?"

"Because Hag refuses to tell me." Vergil watched as she strolled over to the bird stand and the ugly vulture finally woke up, stretching its wings.

She laughed. "Yes, that old witch keeps and hides all the good things to herself...Had I not left her tutorage, I wouldn't have become as powerful as I am now." Then she lifted her hand and the vulture hopped off the perch and settled on her arm. She cooed, stroking its bald head lovingly and the vulture chattered in appreciation. Turning to Vergil, she said, "Where are my manners? Have a seat."

He threw a glance to a cushion on the floor opposite the low table and seated himself down.

"Now let's talk business." Circe said; he couldn't tell if she was smiling under the veil, but her eyes curled upwards teasingly. "So, what do you require? A curse? Hex? A potion?"

"Something that will help me attain great power."

Circe fell silent for a while, then – "Oh, that's right, you escaped from Hell, and you have incurred Mundus' wrath... And you want to find a way. I can help and I will help you...but I don't do things for free."

He scowled inwardly, knowing this would happen. "What is it you require?"

Her ruby red eyes flitted to him deviously. "How about a kiss?"

Vergil frowned darkly.

"No? How about your body? Let's spend one night together."

His response was instant: "No."

"Why not?" She gestured to herself all over, "I'm not unattractive."

A fleeting image of Lucy appeared in his mind and his fist curled.

Circe laughed then. "I see...there is _someone_."

"That's none of your business."

"Oh, but it is." She crooned, "If you won't give yourself to me, then I want the firstborn child you have with that mate of yours."

"I refuse to concede to such demands." Finally, he rose, towering over her with fury prevalent in his eyes. His hand landed on Yamato and Circe held her hands up.

"Alright, calm down, I'm just teasing. Just get me a Wyvern's heart, okay? It has to be from an infant Northern Spiked Wyvern." She said. "I would go to their nesting grounds myself but their mothers are too protective and I can't get close."

Just like Hag, she too had a twisted sense of humor. "Fine." He snarled, "Then you will offer your assistance."

Circe confirmed with a firm nod. "Yes I shall."

...

He returned a few hours later bloodied and with the heart wrapped up in a knapsack as requested.

Circe seemed more than pleased to see his return and looked up from a large and old, moldy book before her. "Ah, you're back. And where is it?"

"Here." He tossed it to her and she caught it. He'd gone through quite a lot to get it for her, having to fend off the overprotective mothers, killing the baby demon and gouging out its heart. He watched as Circe seated herself cross-legged on the ground and goaded him to sit down opposite her, then she put the bundle between them and unwrapped the knapsack and there was the dark-red, bloody heart in view.

Circe's vulture stared at it hungrily but she shooed it away and grabbed a silver knife from the side and before Vergil knew it she rammed it into the heart and split it open. Blood went spraying all over her face and veil but she ignored it and proceeded to delve her hands in and rummage through until her hands were soaked.

"Give me your hand. I need some of your blood in order for this to work." He hesitated but then offered his hand, and she pulled away some bandages and used the knife to score the base of both of his palms. Then she used the knife to cut her own hands and turning to him, she added, "Now we must join hands."

Pressing their hands together, she closed her eyes and he was left to watch.

"Ahhh, I see...Lucy...your mate, a human no less...And Dante, your twin...Sons of Sparda..." She mumbled incoherently, eyebrows furrowing.

Vergil frowned acutely; he wondered how this will work and then –

Circe looked up but he saw that her eyes had rolled to the back of her head. "_Vergil, Son of Sparda_." She hissed; it was undoubtedly her voice he heard but it was mixed with another which was not her own.

"And you are?"

_"'Tis the messenger of Tubal-cain who speaks to thee. You have gone to seek the demoness Circe for assistance..." _She continued, "_She is not the one who can change your destiny. Come find us, within the Forest of Stone. 'Tis the land of the ancients, the land before men. The land that has been forgotten where none dare to venture._ _Tubal-cain awaits, Son of Sparda. He shall wait for you, for he has the answers you seek._"

Circe's palms slid away and she was swaying on the spot for a short while until she re-opened her eyes. Vergil was before her, contemplating. As she left him to his own thoughts, she returned to the heart and pulled out chunks of meats, scoring them with her nails before she brought it to her mouth under the veil. He glanced up when he heard her feasting noisily, tearing off the flesh ravenously and devouring greedily. He wondered what was underneath the veil considering no human teeth could make that noise. Beside her, the vulture returned and tried pecking at it despite her efforts to keep it at bay.

When she was finished with the meal, she let out a gasp of relief and turned to him. "Did you get what you wanted?"

He murmured, "I did. You have my gratitude."

"...You're welcome." She muttered, as she watched him leave.

Then she turned to her vulture and stroked him on the head. "He rejected me." She murmured, "No-one has ever rejected me before."

...

Vergil returned late in the evening. He was drenched all over in rain and he saw Dante seated at the sofa once more but Bones was nowhere to be seen – instead, she was in her devil arm form, affixed to the wall.

"Hey Verge, where'd you go?" Dante greeted him casually.

"I went out for fresh air." He replied bluntly.

"Heh. Nice try, but you're the worst liar in history. Always had been."

"Where I go doesn't concern you, Dante."

"You can't blame me for a little brotherly concern."

"Spare it."

"Well...since you just got up and left, I've been looking after your little mate for ya. She's fine. Her fever's gone down."

"And here I thought I'd return to see your hovel in flames."

"Hey, I'm not that irresponsible." Dante barked as Vergil seated himself on the sofa. "By the way, I got a question for ya."

"What?"

"...Since you're here, I uh...I was thinking..."

"Let me guess. You want me to co-manage this dismal business of yours."

"Yeah." Dante said, "...And before you say it, this 'hovel' is all I can afford right now. It's not the best job in the world, but it's what we're good at...what I'm good at. Not everyone can do what we do...so we're a niche."

"That word is complicated, that I don't believe someone of your intellect could even come up with. Where did you hear it from?"

"Lady said it once. She said it means we're a specialized segment in the market for a particular kind of service. You know, demon-killing."

"Since this is your lodgings...from my understanding, it doesn't pay well."

He shrugged. "Pays for the essentials – beer, pizza, electricity, hot water."

"I must decline, brother, for I have far more important matters to deal with."

"Riiiiight. And then afterwards maybe you wanna re-think my offer?"

He didn't really want to. Running a demon-hunting business with Dante? Living here? He wasn't too keen. He was good at fighting demons, yes, but he didn't want to turn it into something that made money (...and it didn't even make a lot of money in the first place). It sounded so...futile and aggravating...and to even know that his clients would be _humans_. It was a vile idea. He was also unsure whether or not he could tolerate Dante. There was a fine line, and Dante crossed it more often than he intended.

"Soooo," Dante added, oblivious to Vergil's growing and shielded unease, "Any thoughts about Mundus?"

"I will go to the Stone Forest of Tubal-cain. A master blacksmith lives there."

"Ugh...more mystical places." Dante said, "Where do you find out about these things? First Hag, now this...mystical stone forest? Of Two Ball chain?"

"_Tubal-cain_." Vergil corrected him, "And it was from Circe."

"Circe-who?"

"You won't know, and it's probably best you don't."

"Alrighty then. So who is Tubal-cain?"

Vergil continued, "Legends claim he forges powerful weapons for many that are unlike any other. Most likely he'd forged weapons for our father too. And perhaps he'd forged another weapon. One we don't know about."

"Geez, these are some crazy theories, Vergil."

"But not completely unheard of. I will leave once the human recovers."

"Have it your way."

Suddenly, they heard some shuffling in the landing and looked up; Lucy was at the banister, having woken up from hours of sleep. She looked slightly healthier and her face was not so pale. They watched as she made her way downstairs and stopped at the last step. Despite looking better, she looked positively miserable.

"...I had a bad dream again." She mumbled; her nose was blocked and her throat was clogged, her voice was a bit nasal.

Dante would throw a quick glance to Vergil but knowing that his older twin would fail to respond or react in a positive manner, he said quickly, "Wanna join us?" He said, patting the couch; she nodded and waddled over, plopping herself down between the twins. Surprisingly enough, Vergil did not move away immediately at her presence. Dante added, "Are you okay?"

"I feel better."

"Yeah, it's 'cos that sourpuss on your right decided to be a good sport and went out to get ibuprofen for you."

"Thanks Vergil..." She mumbled blearily, whilst Vergil shot Dante a warning look. Dante merely grinned, eyebrows wiggling.

"I did not." The older twin remarked coldly. It was the truth, after all.

Dante inwardly growled at Vergil's remark, blowing his white lie to smithereens. With a sigh, he said, "But he DID stay to look after you whilst Bones and I went out to get your ibuprofen."

Now she was confused. "You just said Vergil got me the ibuprofen."

"Haha, yeah, about that..."

"Enough with the deceit, Dante. You're getting nowhere, and for what?" Vergil snapped, "Do you enjoy making a mockery out of yourself?"

"I was tryin' to make you look good!"

"That won't be necessary." Turning to Lucy, Vergil said, "Whilst you were confined in bed with the fever, I remained vigilant here. My brother and his companion left to get your medication."

"...Okay." Lucy simply said; she was rubbing her red, runny nose with a tissue. It seemed she didn't care who got what and who did what. "Thanks, both of you. Thank you for looking after me."

...

Early morning, Lucy woke up to a loud thud and she could hear Dante downstairs:

"I'm off to the store! Want anything, Verge?"

"No."

"Okay, suit yourself. Bones, you're comin' with me."

"I am?"

"Yeah, hurry up."

Then Lucy drifted back to sleep once the shop fell silent again.

She woke up again a couple of hours later, feeling much, much better and after folding her blanket, putting on an oversized hoodie, denims and her converses, she left her room. However, something didn't appear right. It was quiet. Too quiet. She passed Dante's room only to find it empty and when she glanced over the banister, she saw Vergil in the lounge intensely scrutinizing a note in his hands.

"Vergil?" She called, and he turned to face her, "What's wrong? Where's Dante?"

She looked around the rest of the shop but didn't see hair or hide of him. Even Bones the Scythe was missing from the wall.

Vergil narrowed his eyes behind the bandages and averted his gaze to the note again, "Come downstairs. This will explain." He ordered, and she hurried down the steps and joined his side. Vergil handed the note to her and she read the contents thoroughly.

In messy handwriting, it said:

_Haaah, you fell for the oldest trick in the book. I'm off to take Jon-Bone-Jovi home. I'll be back whenever._

_Luce - look after the shop while I'm gone. If Lady comes tell her to take a hike I don't owe her anything for the time being (I checked so she can't call me a liar)_

_Vergil – Don't eat the pizza in my fridge I know what you're thinking deep down I can see it in your eyes and I still remember that incident with the chorizo._

_But you two play nice now._

_And don't do the nasty in my house_

_There's a motel down the street for that. _

_Laters_

Lucy cringed when she turned the note round to see crudely drawn directions to the motel mentioned. Cringing, she thrust the note for Vergil's taking but he refused. "Now what? Dante's left us to look after the shop..."

Vergil remained silent, but she thought she heard him emit a quiet sigh before he seated himself on the couch.

"Vergil?" She said, only to elicit no response.

_How crafty of you, brother_, he thought to himself. Next time he'd remember not to let Dante know where he was headed next. Otherwise, maybe Dante wouldn't have left on such short notice...

"Vergil?" She tried again, noticing how quiet he'd become, until she heard a rapid knock on the door. Uh-oh. Could it be a client? But Dante didn't mention anything about what to do when a client came... Turning to Vergil, who was now resting with his eyes closed, she hesitated for a while and then hurried to the front door and opened it only to see an empty porch. However, she spotted the silhouette of a strange large bird flying away. Throwing her glance to the doorstep, she saw an old and moldy cardboard box. There was a bad feeling in her gut when she picked it up and brought it back into Dante's shop.

"Who was it?" Vergil began almost immediately, when she closed the door behind her.

"No-one. But this was left on the doorstep..." She settled the box down.

Vergil eyed her as she opened it, pulling the flaps open – immediately, he sensed danger and as a black shadow jumped at her, Lucy was too slow to react but Vergil was at her side in seconds – he threw himself over her and there was a sharp sting on his neck.

"Vergil!" She screamed, eyes growing wide as he grunted. She automatically wrapped her arms around him as his body fell limp. Sweat began pouring, dotting his forehead and temples. He started to shake in her arms as she held him closer to her.

Behind them, a large cobra reared up and slithered out of the box, its two fangs dripping with Vergil's blood. Lucy gasped at the two puncture wounds on his neck before the snake began emitting a dark purple light and then a beautiful woman with long black hair and a purple veil shielding her face appeared in view. The large bird Lucy thought she saw from earlier returned – which turned out to be a vulture - and with a massive flap of its wings, it settled itself on the woman's arm as a perch.

Sneering, she glanced at the pair as Vergil grunted; turning round, he leveled his gaze with the sorceress.

"You..." He grunted, as Lucy glanced at the woman in shock.

Still cackling, the woman in black stroked her pet vulture and crooned, "My poison is fatal and will kill you within two hours. Furthermore, if you put any strain on your body, it'll only quicken the process. There is an antidote, but unfortunately for you, it requires a willing sacrifice... One who loves and cares for you so much that they'd be willing to risk their life to suck it out of your body and into their own. Poor, pitiful Son of Sparda. I wonder where you can find someone like that. Even if you have a mate, does she love you enough as to risk her life for yours...? For who can love a heartless half-devil who cares for no-one but himself... Miserable souls like yourself deserve their fate – to die alone and unloved."

Howling with mocking laughter, Lucy watched as the mysterious woman turned and with her robes billowing in her wake, she transformed into a giant black crow and flew out of the shop, followed by her vulture. "Wait!" Lucy yelled, but the woman was gone. Throwing her glance to Vergil, she saw his body shaking as he growled low in his throat. "Vergil, is-is what she said true?"

He tried to sit up, but found that the strength was leaving his body. "I...I..." He struggled; it seemed it was true, after all.

"Let's go find Lady! She can - oh wait, I don't have her contact details..." Lucy mumbled; when would be the next time Lady would come by Devil May Cry? Would it be within the two hours? She shook her head thoroughly. "No, I need to find Hag...she's our best bet. She'll know what to do." She tried to loop his arm over her shoulder and getting him to stand. "We'll set out immediately. Hang in there..."

* * *

**A/N**

*snorts with laughter* If any of you are curious, Circe was a greek sorceress known for turning people into animals and she appeared in The Odyssey. In here she's got nothing to do with the Greek myth, she is Hag's apprentice who left after becoming dissatisfied with Hag's limited teachings so went down the dark side lol.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey y'all. SirenaLoreley, thanks for reviewing every chapter I have. I appreciate it so much. Redgrave, its so awesome you have an account now. Guest - thanks for the lovely review its made my day. I decided to update early because I'm really enjoying writing this lol. Hope you enjoy this too! but er...OOC Vergil?

* * *

_"The time will come and you, my dear, will suffer more than anyone."_

_"I'll deal with it. Now save him."_

...

...

There was no time to waste.

Lucy left Vergil downstairs and ran up to her room, fishing out her backpack before returning to the lounge – she packed the essentials - a few shirts just in case, some money, a bottle of water, some biscuits, before she quickly wrote Dante a note explaining what had happened. Returning to Vergil, who appeared barely conscious, she looped his arm over her shoulder again and helped him out of the shop. Glancing around, she wondered how to get to Hag's shack in the woods as she looked at the streets and cars and passer-bys until Vergil grabbed her arm firmly.

She turned to him questioningly as he growled out, "...Hold on."

Lucy looked at him blankly before he pulled her into his chest and then her feet left the floor. Startled, she let out a yelp as he kept her close and then suddenly they dropped over the ground in a heap.

He had teleported, with her.

Lucy rolled off the ground and sat up, holding at her pounding head. She had never experienced such a dizzying sensation before and it took a while for her to fully regain her senses. "Uhhhh...what...Vergil, where..." She croaked out, before she turned to her side, spotting the half-devil, "Oh my god! Vergil!?"

He was lying beside her and she crawled over to him, grabbing hold of his shoulders firmly. Glancing around, she saw that he had teleported them to the front porch of Hag's shack. She remembered what the woman in black said earlier – if Vergil put any strain on his body it would only make the toxin spread even quicker; it seemed that way because the wound on his neck was turning a wretched and foul, purplish green.

"Oh no..." She threw her glance up once she heard footsteps and there was Hag at her door. "Hag!"

"Lucy?" The witch was surprised at their sudden appearance.

"Help him!" She begged, "He's been poisoned!"

Glancing at the unconscious half-devil, Hag immediately took action and they both carried him inside the shack and towards the direction of the room he once occupied. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know, we were at Dante's shop...Dante left to take Bones home and th-then there was this knock on the door and I went to get it and – "

"Lucy!" Hag yelled, in response to her rambling.

"Sorry! There was this woman dressed in black and she had this vulture but she actually was – "

"A snake?"

Once they deposited Vergil on the bed and draped a thin blanket over him, Lucy looked at Hag, stunned. "How did you know?"

Hag shook her head sadly. "Circe." She muttered.

"Who's Circe?"

"A powerful demon. Vergil should've known better than to get involved with her."

Lucy blinked numbly. "Involved? What do you mean?"

But Hag was at Vergil's side, tending and inspecting his injury. Vergil did not respond in any way, instead he was breathing heavily and erratically, clearly in pain and discomfort. Watching him like this made Lucy uncomfortable and scared and she glanced at Hag as the witch lifted his hand, noticing how cold and clammy it had become and how limp his body was. Although Vergil had always been paler than Dante, his complexion had completely been drained into a pasty-white, sickly color. After Hag finished checking him, she shook her head sadly and turned to Lucy with a saddened expression.

"...Will he be okay?" Lucy asked, even though she felt she knew the answer to this question already.

"No."

At least Hag did not sugarcoat the circumstances. Lucy croaked out, "The woman said someone needs to suck it out from him and into their own body, but that person will die in their place."

Hag nodded. "It is as she said. This is an extremely powerful curse. There is no escape from this."

She couldn't believe her ears. "Isn't there anything we can do?! We can't just let him die!"

"The poison is spreading quickly through his body; I can slow it down but that is all I can do. Death is inevitable."

Lucy went onto her knees before the witch, grabbing her bony arm. "Hag, please...you're a witch doctor...you're immortal...you're known to cure anything...You can't let this happen to Vergil, you're his gran - "

"I'm sorry, my dear. I'm so sorry." Hag rose from the bed and exited the room, leaving her alone with Vergil.

Lucy knelt by the bed, her fingers gripping the thin blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white. No, how could this happen? How could this happen to Vergil? So many thoughts run amok in her mind and she didn't know where to begin. Who was Circe and how did Vergil get involved with her? Why did she curse him anyway? Did Vergil have so many enemies after all? Perhaps she was once his scorned lover, and having discovered he had returned from hell...she came to the shop and she wanted to take revenge...?

_But the attack was aimed at me, right? Vergil took the attack for me...Either way, it doesn't matter...what's been done is done..._

She heard him groaning and sat up, "Vergil?"

He slowly opened his eyes and he saw her hovering above him, her expression full of worry. "...Why...are you still here..." His voice was strained and full of agony. His breathing was shallow; underneath the bandages, it was hard to see his expression but she knew he was in pain. The wound on his neck was beginning to turn even darker in hue, and creeping black marks began to appear over his collarbone and shoulders and to the base of his chin.

"I can't leave you like this." Lucy dabbed at the corner of her eyes as Hag returned to the room and began to lift Vergil out of bed. She looked up questioningly but it seemed Hag seemed fine without her help this time. "Where are you taking him?"

"You should come with us." Hag muttered, and she followed the witch out of the room.

"Where are we going?"

"You'll see." The witch came to a stop at the main section of the shack, usually where the dining table and kitchen was, but this time, Hag had moved the table to make room for a symbol drawn in blood lined with lit candles on her floor. Lucy stiffened on the spot; staring at the symbol reminded her of the pentagram she had seen at the convent...

She didn't even hear Hag muttering an incantation and a portal appeared in a burst of light. Lucy finally snapped out of her thoughts and Hag stepped inside the portal with Vergil in tow; Lucy trailed after the two and saw that they were in a misty and foggy cave of some sort and there was a pool of clear water in the middle along with a flowing waterfall at the very edge. The cave brought a sense of relief and tranquility within her and as Hag lay Vergil down on the floor and began to strip him of his coat and shirt, Lucy turned away as Hag then eased the half-naked twin into the water, leaving him to lean upright against the rocky rim of the pool. If Vergil was conscious, she guessed he wouldn't let this happen to him. Even his bandages were completely soaked, and Hag unwrapped them from his head, leaving him exposed.

Lucy stared, eyes widening slightly.

_He...looks like Dante..._

To her utmost astonishment, she saw not the face of a demon but one of a very handsome young man. Vergil had completely healed – and it dawned to her he'd kept himself covered up the entire time. Why? She found herself staring at him for a little longer than necessary, gazing at the chiseled jawline, the strong bow-shaped lips and nose, the tightly-knit eyebrows and the short, snowy white hair that flopped over his eyes. He was half-naked, his skin wet and pale, his shoulders were wide and his biceps thick and muscular. His chest was broad and sturdy albeit covered in a few scars. The more she looked at him, the more she found that her cheeks were becoming a little warmer than usual.

Immediately she turned away, averting her glance when she realized what she was doing. Vergil was practically on his deathbed. And here she was ogling him. For shame. However, she sneaked another glance at him over her shoulder. Vergil was immobile and oblivious to her. Before long, Hag grabbed a bucket from the side and filled it with some water from the pool before pouring it over him, who did not retaliate or speak or make any form of noise in response.

"Hag, what is this place?" Lucy asked as she eyed the unmoving Vergil worryingly.

"It has no name." Hag said, "It is an ancient spring and you cannot reach this place from anywhere in this realm. For now, it's healing effect will prolong the toxin from spreading, so it's the perfect place for him to be right now. It will still kill him, eventually. If he leaves now, he will die instantly." Hag began to return to the portal before throwing a glance at Lucy. "I'll see if I can find Dante."

Was it too soon to give up? Was it really futile to get rid of the poison and just let Vergil..._die_? Isn't that too cruel?

"Don't do anything rash." Hag warned, and Lucy nodded weakly.

"Wait, Hag."

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me more about Circe?"

There was a long silence until Hag relented and emitted a heavy sigh, "My dear, I am a demon. I wasn't always the way I am now. I was evil. Before I met Sparda and became his ally, I was a vile and malicious creature who was bested by the legendary demon knight. And then I...well, as your generation would say it, I 'turned over a new leaf'."

Lucy shook her head. "But you can't – I can't imagine you as an evil being at all."

Hag chuckled. "My story is not finished yet. A long time ago, I raised many wonderful creatures. One was a Naga. Naga are seven-headed snakes and their venom contains extremely useful properties for medicine and potions. I reared one for that reason but the heads bit and fought each other until only one head was left – the strongest, most intelligent - and also the most vicious. I grew to care for it and after five hundred years of being by my side, it was able to assume human form. I named her _Circe_ and I saw potential in her. I decided to teach her and she became my disciple, but..."

Lucy watched as Hag lowered her head, sighing once more.

"She became interested in becoming stronger by utilizing unconventional means and I saw the evil growing in her heart." Hag muttered, "I tried to teach her healing, to teach her medicine and cures, but she was no longer interested; she wanted to dabble in voodoo, curses and hexes. Eventually, she broke into my study and took one of my old and most powerful tomes and escaped. Since then, I have not seen her but I know of her reputation. She is no disciple of mine, yet I feel shame for what has become of her."

She thought it was strange that Hag had no disciples but the thought did not come into light until now. With that being said, Hag gave Lucy a brief nod and left the portal, leaving her alone with Vergil. The spring was silent save for the gentle flowing of water from the cataract in the corner. Lucy sat on the pool side beside Vergil with her legs crossed. He was silent. It was probably best she kept quiet in order to let him rest. A few moments later and she heard him coughing and she crawled over to his side.

"Vergil?"

His eyes were closed, his eyebrows furrowed, and then –

A thick stream of blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth, down his chin and into the pool, staining the clear water with a murky red tinge. She gasped and without thinking twice, she slipped into the pool and to her surprise, the pool was extremely shallow and she realized he was sitting, not standing, as she had believed. She awkwardly sat down in the water, her clothes soggy and damp, and shifted herself in front of him to inspect him better.

"Vergil, how are you feeling?" She asked quietly but he did not respond to her and she hung her head low, shoulders trembling. "Hag said there's nothing she can do except slow it down. I'm so useless...This is all my fault..."

"Foolish girl..." She heard him growl out. "If you had been bitten...you would have immediately perished."

Lucy looked up; his eyes were still closed but at least she knew he was awake. "What...what do I do..." She croaked out, and her vision began to grow clouded with tears. "I'm so useless...I can't do anything – "

She paused.

_It needs to be sucked out, b__ut..._

Lucy looked at him.

_...Would it work?_

She frowned inwardly at her hesitation and doubt, then inched towards him without further ado, reached for him and placed her hands on his bare shoulders. Finally, he opened his eyes. "...What...are you..."

"Don't talk if it hurts." Lucy said, and she leaned closer to him but he pushed her away, the water splashing around them.

"Don't." He hissed. Although he looked like Dante, his eyes were harsher. And there was a constant frown on his face.

She tried to reach for him again but he shoved her away from him once more and she ended up falling into the water completely. "You're going to die if I don't do anything!" She exclaimed angrily as she sat back up, with her hair wet and sticking to the sides of her face.

He frowned, turning his gaze to the side. "So...you intend to..."

"Yeah."

"Stop with the act."

She was furious at his accusation. "It's not an act!"

"Then why would you risk your life?" He bit out, "For me."

"You're seriously asking me that question? I'm trying to save your life here!"

"If it is not an act, then you are attempting to win favor."

"I can't believe you! I'm not trying to 'win' favor or anything!" Now she might as well not help him and let him die. "Why do you think I wouldn't help you? Why?"

"Because." He said sharply, "We have barely exchanged words. You're a worthless little human and I am a half-devil. You are not a friend or family. We are strangers, and I've slaughtered many humans aplenty in my past. For a long time, I have always been at odds with Dante, who find my objectives questionable and often antagonistic. You know who I am and what I am capable of. Knowing that, for what possible reason would you risk your life for mine."

"But if we had more time then maybe – "

"Time does not matter. If you feel nothing for someone then it will remain that way forever and nothing you do will change it."

Lucy threw her glance down sullenly. "Well, since you seem to know exactly what others think of you, I don't have the greatest opinion of you either; you are a bit of a jerk. You're cold and distant. You glare at me all the time. You treat me like I'm a burden," She said, "...But you're always there, when I'm alone and scared."

"A ridiculous conclusion. Have you not considered that perhaps I find you insufferable and miserable, and that I pity you?"

For someone who was poisoned and on the brink of death, he sure was talking a lot. There was a slight silence following his cruel words before she lowered her gaze. "I'm still gonna do it." She muttered.

"...Foolishness." He grunted out.

"So what? Who cares if I die anyway? I don't have any family. I don't have any friends. I'm alone in this world. No-one would care about me. But you're different. You still have Dante. You still have family. He would be sad to lose you again."

"Then you are doing this for my brother. You have feelings for him."

She roared in frustration, wringing her hands together. "NO! Dear god, why do you always take everything I say the wrong way!? Vergil, if Dante knew what was going on he'd be so upset...and I AM still going to do this...for Dante, yes, because I care for him but also not because of what you said about the feelings and stuff."

She truly struggled with her words. Lucy earnestly hoped he would understand but all she got was a deepening frown in response.

"Ugh, never mind." She muttered.

And then she grabbed him, holding him steady before she leaned over and his eyes widened slightly when he felt her lips firmly over his neck. Despite his further attempts to throw her off him, to prevent her from sucking out the toxin for him, it had paralyzed him, weakened him and she continued. She was too close for his liking with her hands on his shoulders that he felt the warmth emanating from her body which was strangely comforting and once he could feel the toxin escaping his body, it was too late even after he shoved her away with all his strength. He slammed a hand over his neck; his strength was returning and Lucy, who'd been pushed so roughly she went underneath the water, resurfaced with a splutter once again.

"You – " He started, only to realize he was feeling better and was able to move his arm. She'd sucked it all out. Lucy watched him for a couple of seconds before she wiped at her mouth with the back of her palm and went to climb out of the pool, swaying slightly. He followed her out and when her knees went away, he caught her before she fell and he saw that black marks were beginning to appear on her body. "You fool." He snarled at her. "Why?!"

She opened her eyes weakly and glanced up at him but said nothing and turned away. Knitting his eyebrows in confusion and anger, he raised his hand and using his thumb, he brushed away a strand of damp hair from her face.

"Lucy." He muttered. Finally, she swerved her gaze up to him once more and he shook his head slowly. "What did you have to gain from this?"

"...I couldn't let you die..." She murmured, her voice was barely above a whisper. She coughed and blood began seeping out from the corner of her mouth.

He cupped her face, wiping the blood away but she kept coughing more and more blood. She appeared to be in terrible pain, inhaling sharp and ragged breaths as she closed her eyes. There were the sounds of footsteps approaching them quickly and he glanced over to see Hag, who was holding a towel in hands, growing wide-eyed at the sight.

"Hurry up and put her into the water!" She instructed, and Vergil lifted Lucy's limp form into his arms and carried her into the pool. "I knew this would happen. I knew she'd do it."

Vergil looked up at the witch, then threw his glance to Lucy. "You told her you were unable to save me so she resorted to this. You lied. There is nothing you can't cure."

Hag shook her head, "No. I'm afraid it's the truth. There are some things I cannot cure, Vergil, and this is one of them. Circe was my disciple; she made sure she bested me in every way possible. The water can only prolong the effect of the toxin in her body. She'll die soon unless we find a way to reverse this."

"How?"

"Find Circe and bring her to me. I may be powerless, but..."

"I see." He said with a nod, letting go of Lucy and rising from the pool. Hag handed him the towel and he dried himself thoroughly, then he grabbed his vest, cravat and coat from the side of the pool. Running a hand through his hair, he flipped his bangs up effortlessly and away from his eyes. Funnily enough, his hair stayed upright, and Hag watched him as he dressed silently.

It was good to see his face, finally.

* * *

**A/N**

The quote was from the movie Hellboy 2 Lol. Aside from that I hope this story reaches 100 reviews. That would be awesome. Just to let you know I imagined the ancient spring to look like the Sulyya Springs from Final Fantasy 13.

PS I can't remember if Vergil has killed humans before I think in the manga he did

PSS Vergil finally said Lucy's name (and its only taken him 14 chapters)

Woot here are new/updated profiles:

**Vergil** – Still on the path to achieve more power that it led him to Circe. His face has recovered and he no longer needs bandages.

**Dante** – He's asked Lucy to stay at his shop whilst she sorts out her life. He also asked Vergil if he would like to co-manage Devil May Cry with him, then ditched her and Vergil to look after his shop while he went to take Bones home.

**Lucy** – Vergil's mate, who has now become homeless after the St Orsola's Convent incident. She is currently staying with Dante, will try to find a full-time job soon.

**Bones** – She became a Devil Arm in order to help Dante.

**Circe** – Hag's pet Naga who escaped (it should be 'Nagi' which is the female equivalent but naga sounded better to me). Nagas are seven headed serpents and for Circe's case, they fought each other until only she remained. She assumed human form after five hundred years and became Hag's disciple. This coincides with some myths as to how demons take form, namely from Taoism.


	17. Chapter 17

_"My task is set before me,_

_My mission clear and true_

_There'll be black knights and dragons,_

_But I will always come for you."_

...

...

Circe sensed him arriving and looked up from her harp, her fingers leaving the strings. Vergil stood at the entrance of her cave, his dark gaze fixated on her.

"Oh ho. You're still alive." She crooned; she sensed his murderous intent as he calmly took one step inside. Her vulture flew off its perch and went to anticipate him, flying towards him with its talons and –

_Slash!_

Vergil had Yamato out, bisecting it in half and immediately Circe stood up, alarmed and furious as the vulture dropped to the ground in two. He averted his attention from the dead vulture to the sorceress as she put the harp down.

"You bastard!" She screeched with pure, blind rage before she drew a whip from her robe in a matter of seconds, unfurling it to its fullest length and he avoided the assault by ducking to the side – it lashed at the wall behind him – and she drew it back and cracked it against the ground that the earth beneath them trembled. "I'll make you suffer!"

It seemed she wasn't interested as to finding out why he was still alive or how he had recovered fully considering he no longer needed the bandages; Vergil avoided another attack from her whip as it came hurtling towards him and she ended up smashing her low table in half, causing its contents to go flying. Circe continued to go after him relentlessly, seemingly uncaring about what happened to her home. She drew the whip once more and as he batted it away, he sent a barrage of summoned swords towards her direction. She was too busy with the offensive but she still managed to escape unharmed using her robes, which acted as a shield, causing the swords to shatter.

He frowned as the ineffectiveness of the swords and evaded another lash of her whip aimed at him, leaping backwards. At this rate he wouldn't be able to get close to her at all; she finally sliced him in the arm whilst he was distracted with keeping up the defensive, the lash from the whip was strong enough to tear through the sleeve of his coat and sting his flesh. An ugly red mark appeared immediately and his frown deepened tenfold. Hag had warned him that Circe was not an opponent to be taken lightly.

His opportunity came when she would retract the whip and he used this short time to teleport out of harm's way and to appear behind her; she whirled around abruptly and caught Yamato with the length of her whip before he could strike her and having to resort to melee - a forked tongue came slithering out from underneath her veil, stabbing at him in full-speed with the intent to poison him – he backed away immediately - and with the distraction, her whip returned, wrapping around Yamato and they found themselves at a standstill. He pulled viciously, jerking his wrist towards his direction whilst she pulled towards her own. They struggled, neither end wanting to back down and with the amount of tugging, the whip went taut in her hands and snapped, Circe and Vergil went skidding backwards. She didn't seem too upset about her broken whip, either.

"Where is the antidote?"

"Why do you need it? Aren't you cured?"

"I will wring it out of your dead body with my hands if I have to."

She scoffed and threw her head back, screeching with mocking laughter. "You want the antidote...?"

Growling, Vergil watched as she began to transform, black light emitting from her body, growing darker and darker until in her place was a massive black cobra that towered over him at least fifty feet high – it was so big the cave barely bad any space for it. Now that he had a better look at it, he could see its blood-red eyes and the many golden rings and red scales on the length of its body. Remembering that Hag had told him that Nagas were seven-headed snakes, he saw the fleshy stumps of her missing heads; it looked like they were beginning to grow back...

"_I'd like to see you try_!" The Naga hissed, its forked tongue spitting at him. Its voice was no longer belonging to Circe, booming loudly within the cave.

Vergil readied Yamato in his hands steadily. He'd fought many creatures in his life but not so many lasted this long against him. He was also not to kill her, but to bring her back to Hag, alive. How that would happen, he wasn't too sure considering this seemed like a fight to the death. Circe struck at him, snapping her jaws before retreating in a split second. Her body thrashed and her tail stabbed at him, trying to crush him with her immense body and strength and he leapt to the side. She used her jaws to attack him again and he had to use Yamato to stop her from devouring him whole. She was large enough to swallow him and as she struggled with him, he finally pushed her off him and slashed at her belly.

She screeched, thrashing so hard the cave began to crumble. Shaking rocks and debris off herself, she reared back up and lunged at him once more. He evaded the assault by leaping into the air and in progress, he devil-triggered, causing a bright flash of blue in the dark cave and in his powerful form, he landed on top of her head and clung onto her scales. She threw her head back and forth, trying to shake him off, and as he stabbed Yamato deep inside her flesh, she screeched again, this time with annoyance, and finally she flung him off her.

"Bastard!" She cursed as she caught him using the length of her body, wrapping around him tightly, constricting him. Vergil fought viciously in her grasp as she began to crush him, she slithered up to him and lifted him up to her face. The tip of her scaly nose almost touched him as they went eye-to-eye. Her voice echoed within the cave as she hissed out, "_You disgusting little maggot! I'll tear you apart, limb from limb_!"

She stretched her mouth open so wide she would be able to swallow him whole in one gulp. Her fangs dripped with poison and saliva, and before she could rip his head off, he summoned all his strength and slipped out of her grasp, causing her to sink her fangs into her own flesh by accident as she attempted to bite him. She pulled away immediately with a roar. With the Naga distracted, Vergil delivered the finishing blow, slashing at her scaly belly with a vertical swipe. She screamed again and began recoiling in a flood of black light, until she was lying on the ground in her human form, heaving and panting and covered all over in wounds.

"YOUUUU!" She screamed viciously, before she stood up wobbly and tried to lunge at him with her claws.

"That's enough!" yelled a new voice, and both turned to see Hag at the destroyed entrance of the cave. "Circe! Are you quite finished?!" The witch doctor yelled at the girl, who eyed her in astonishment.

"Master...you're here..."

Hag shook her head slowly. "Stop this foolishness at once and give me back what you stole." From the innards of her robe, she pulled out a bronze bell and began to ring it, the clear sound piercing the quiet cave.

Circe suddenly shrieked and shook her head, hissing. "Stop! Put that thing away!" She screamed, covering her ears with her hands.

"It's been a long time since I used this." Hag said, as Vergil strode over to her.

"Why are you here?" He snarled, as he returned to his normal form, the devil trigger vanishing.

"Heh, I thought you needed some help."

"I don't need 'help'. Where is she? You left her on her own?"

"For now, yes, but she'll be fine in the spring. Don't worry, I'll take it from here." Hag said. Frowning, he turned to march away but Hag said, "Don't you want to watch this?"

He glanced over his shoulder to see Circe reduced to her knees before Hag, the sound of the bell clearly causing her agony and discomfort. Hag continued to ring the bell until Circe hissed out, "Alright, alright! I'll give you the antidote! Just stop torturing me with that thing..."

In another flash of black and purple light, Circe's human form withered away and a little, miniature version of the cobra he'd faced was lying on the floor. Hag bent down and scooped it up, stroking her on the head. "Hmm, it's a good thing you didn't beat her up too bad. I'll be able to create a cure using Circe." Hag said to Vergil, "Let's go."

Vergil frowned deeply as the witch attached the bell to her belt securely. "What is that?"

"Oh, this? It can control Nagas. They hate the sound."

"If you had that..._thing_ the entire time, did you not think it wise to give it to me before I went to face your wretched disciple?"

"Actually I just found it in my study just there so I came here to help you."

Shaking his head, Hag opened a portal to the shack and they left Circe's cave without a second to spare.

* * *

Hag busily worked on a cure whilst Vergil had returned to the ancient spring to check up on her. Lucy was inside and she was quiet the entire duration. Her face was pasty and pale and her lips had turned a deep black, indicating the poison that was slowly killing her from inside. He wondered if she was conscious as he sat cross-legged with Yamato against him. When he heard Hag approaching, he opened his eyes to see her carrying a coiled-up Circe stuck inside a glass jar – the Naga looked more than displeased with the treatment (her belly was bandaged) but when he glanced at Hag, she lifted up a little glass bottle with a cork and a liquid inside.

"It's done." Hag announced. She looked a little weary.

"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up." He barked.

"Patience, patience..." Hag said with a scowl at his attitude; she limped to the pool side, settled Circe down on the ground and slipped into the pool. "Vergil, hold her steady."

He entered the water without further ado and as instructed, held Lucy up by taking hold of her shoulders while Hag uncorked the bottle, opened Lucy's mouth and tipped the contents inside. "Wait. Tell me what's inside it first."

"Circe's poison is fatal, but she was generous enough to donate us some of her blood. Once ingested, it will neutralize the toxin." The witch explained, and he felt somewhat relieved to hear that. Meanwhile, Circe lifted her head up to look at them before turning away to curl up and rest, feeling a mix between being tired, bitter and angry. "She's not swallowing it." Hag added, noticing that some of the antidote was beginning to spill from the corner of her mouth. Turning to Vergil, she added, "I think she might need some help."

He eyed the bottle for a while, and Hag thought he would voice his reluctance or disgust and refuse, but to her surprise, he took the bottle wordlessly, downed some himself then abruptly cupped Lucy's face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled away, having transferred the antidote from himself to her, she was still unresponsive.

"Swallow it. Now." He ordered and finally, Lucy's throat convulsed and he released her.

"Well, would you look at that? She listens to you." Hag pointed out, having witnessed the interaction. "Now we need to let her rest. Let's go, Circe."

Vergil proceeded to carry Lucy out of the spring, although she was soggy and damp in his arms. Hag climbed out the pool first, departing through the portal with the glass jar in hands and he was left with Lucy. He carried her out of the portal and to his surprise, their clothes and hair were instantly dry once he stepped foot into Hag's lounge. Behind him, the portal closed, sealing away the ancient spring until it would be needed.

He averted his gaze once the portal vanished and entered the room that Lucy once used during her stay here. He settled her into the bed and he could see that her complexion was beginning to clear up, her face was not so pale and her lips were beginning to return to its usual rosy color. He then returned to the lounge to see Hag busy with work. She was rummaging through a grainy sack in the corner then pulled out two handfuls, lifted the lid off the glass jar a fraction and slipped two dead mice inside for Circe.

"You did good for a change, Circe." The witch muttered, "And it looks like the rest of your heads may grow back soon."

"Hmph!" Circe could be heard hissing as she stared at the dead mouse before she grabbed one furry carcass with her jaws and proceeded to swallow it whole although not quite managing so the mouse's legs and tail stuck out of her mouth.

"Why are you so bitter? You were the one who started it." Hag muttered as she went to a counter and grabbed her mortar and pestle, grabbing some herbs and leaves from the side and dumping them into the rounded stone pot before she began mashing them together.

"Well, I want something in return! I gave you the antidote, Master."

"You don't deserve anything."

Circe hissed again in displeasure. "No! I want Dante. He's not Vergil, but he'll do."

Hag crossed her arms and glanced at Vergil who moved to sit down in front of the fireplace. "Are you sure you don't want your vulture companion back from the dead instead?"

Circe hesitated. "...Well, yes, that would do quite nicely too. If you could do that for me, I would appreciate that very much, Master." She threw a glare at Vergil's direction.

"Consider it done." Hag petted her on the head and closed the glass jar again, leaving the snake to devour her food. Turning to Vergil, she said, "Don't worry, Circe's harmless now. She won't be able to return to her human form for some time. Also, I'll make sure she doesn't escape and inflict harm onto anyone else."

"Yes, please do if you value the life of that damned snake." Vergil snarled, and Circe shot him another cold look but he ignored her. "How long will it take for her to recover?"

Hag murmured, aware of the animosity between her unofficial half-devil grandson and her pet Naga, "A couple of days. You're welcome to stay here until then. And I think the first thing she'd want to see when she wakes up is you. After all, you're her knight in shining armor considering you battled a mythical creature just to get the cure."

Whilst Vergil closed his eyes, his frown worsening, the pink stain on his cheeks gave it all away. Hag was giving him too much credit, and she snickered to herself softly but decided not to tease him.

* * *

**A/N**

Hi everyone. Thank you for your nice reviews! They make me so happy! And yasssss this story reached 100 reviews so that's also awesome and so nice of you all. Have some Vergil plushies! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really don't like writing action so usually my action scenes suck and I tend to avoid it altogether.


	18. Chapter 18

Hey everyone :) Thanks for the support! Usually when I'm in a good mood and in a roll I update really realllllly quickly so here you are! This is a pretty long chapter. ENJOYYY! I have to say...this might be my favorite chapter yet, despite OOC. This chapter is for all you Vergil x OC fans. It probably doesn't even make any sense but it's all about Lucy trying to get to know Vergil better only for everything to backfire...

And we're back to Vergil's beautiful mug for this story's cover image. I wanted to show you how I imagined Circe's snake form ^^

* * *

_"Between what is said and not meant, _

_and what is meant and not said, most of love is lost." _

_..._

_..._

Hag was out in her front porch, tending to a bubbling cauldron while Circe was lurking underneath the table, busily chomping on a fat dead rat in the shade. She had let Circe out of her glass jar, and the Naga made promises to Hag not to slither off somewhere or bother Vergil or Lucy but it seemed she didn't seem interested in escaping or bothering anyone. Hag was to resurrect her dead vulture companion after all.

The weather was nice – with a clear blue sky, misty white clouds and a cool, gentle breeze. It was perfect for Hag to brew all sorts of potions out in the open. In the flower fields surrounding her shack, she saw Vergil sitting atop one of the highest rocks overlooking the edge of the cliffs where a waterfall was billowing out freezing cold water into the unseen treacherous depths below. He appeared to be meditating, his eyes closed. Lucy was also sitting cross-legged on one rock further down, making a daisy chain. Hag inwardly smiled at the pair; even though they didn't appear to be talking, she couldn't help but feel that since Lucy had woken up, they were now a little closer than before.

_At least Vergil is allowing her to sit beside him_, she thought, _Judging from that,_ _I guess their relationship has gone up a notch and is heading to a better direction. _

Hag then watched as Vergil reopened his eyes slowly, and Lucy threw a glance over to him before he returned her gaze. They stared at each other for a few moments before his eyes then landed on the daisy chain in her hands. Hag couldn't hear any audible dialogue, but she saw Lucy place the daisy chain over her head before she pulled another completed daisy chain from the side and held it out for him to take. She'd made one for Vergil, it seemed. The blue half-devil could then be seen growling and turning away in annoyance whilst Lucy began to chuckle; Vergil stared at the waterfall next and Lucy rest her chin in her palm, sighing as she followed his gaze to stare limply at the water.

She would then catch sight of a large dandelion puffball – the ones that hadn't blossomed fully yet and were covered in fluffy white spores. With a grin, Lucy plucked it up and marveled at its wondrous size – Hag's supreme botany skills meant anything that grew in the soil surrounding her house grew to gargantuan sizes – and she inhaled a deep breath and blew, causing the little white fluffy stems to pop off and float towards Vergil's direction. Immediately his eye twitched when the fluff caught in his hair and face and he stood up, brandishing Yamato's scabbard at her. Hag watched as Lucy stood up next and then they were in heated argument before they stormed away from each other.

_Well, I guess it was too good to be true,_ Hag thought to herself; yet she couldn't help but smile at the interaction; she stirred the contents of her cauldron, staring into the murky concoction before she glanced up at the sky, her thoughts straying. _I wonder what would happen if they had a child together..._

* * *

**AFTERNOON**

"Vergil? Are you there?" Lucy called as she stood at the mouth of the cave, gazing into the dark abyss with a basket in hand.

Why did he always like to be alone? And why did he always have to choose scary places to be alone? It was sure as hell difficult trying to find him half the time, but at least the cave was still within the vicinity of Hag's shack so it was demon-free and easy to get to. Lucy neared the cave entrance, taking note of the overgrown shrubbery and the waterfall above and ducked underneath the spray of water, shielding the top of her head with her hands as the freezing water splashed over her.

Drenched and soggy, she shook herself all over before checking if her basket was intact. Thankfully, it was.

"Vergil? Are you in here? Helloooo?" She called, glancing around the cave until Vergil appeared to her right, having teleported to her side and once she turned, she squeaked in fright at his sudden appearance and lost her footing and almost slipped if Vergil hadn't grabbed hold of her arm. She looked up at him with a grin, seemingly ecstatic with his presence. "Vergil!"

"What are you doing here?" He asked, as he let go of her.

She showed him the basket. "Hag made lunch for us."

He frowned (as usual). "I'm not hungry."

"Are you still mad at me for blowing a dandelion puff in your face earlier on? I already said it was an accident and that I was sorry."

"No, but I don't recall you apologizing. Instead, you were adamant on insisting that I was in the wrong." He pointed out, and her cheeks went a little pink.

"...Well, you've been training all day. Don't you want to take a break?"

"_No_," He said coldly, as though her suggesting him take a break was an insult, "So you should return to Hag." With that, he turned, coattails fluttering, and she watched his retreating back with her head cocked to the side before she began to trail after him further into the cave. Without glancing over his shoulder, he said, "I thought I told you to leave. Stop following me."

"I'm not following you; I want to walk through this cave too. Actually, can I watch you train?"

His response was instantaneous. "No. You're not watching me train."

"Why not?"

"I train alone."

She scoffed. "I'm not training with you."

"I know that," He quipped sharply, "What I mean is, you'll only serve as a distraction."

"I'll be quiet, I promise." She said, and Vergil stopped in his tracks, fists curling. Ever since she sucked the poison out for him, woke up and returned to normal health, she was becoming braver and bolder. He whipped round to her then to see her smiling at him. He stiffened all over, his eye twitching somewhat. She noticed. "Uh...are you okay?"

"Leave." He barked. When Vergil vanished from her view, she knew he had teleported and she growled.

"So stubborn..." She mumbled, as she continued down the lonely dark path of the cave. At least the light from outside illuminated the cave. She continued down the trail and noticed it became considerably colder as she went deeper and deeper, and finally, she arrived at a clearing where stalactites and stalagmites formed on the grounds and ceiling and a frozen lake was before her. "Whoa..." Lucy breathed out, her eyes widening. A frozen lake was underneath Hag's shack the entire time?

She put down the basket and glanced up and around before a shiny, sparkly piece of ice broke off the stalactite above her and gently floated down. She held her hand out, catching the piece in her palm. "Oooohh..." She cooed to herself in awe.

"Woman. How did you get down here?" Vergil's voice barked at her from a distance away.

She glanced up to see the half-devil atop a large boulder, cross-legged. "Oh. There you are. I just took that path over there." She gestured to said path.

Vergil frowned at her from his spot and closed his eyes; otherwise he didn't protest. Lucy shrugged and sat down on a clean spot on the ground, staring at the beautiful frozen lake before her and opened Hag's food basket. She pulled out a few rolls with random fillings ranging from ham, egg, cheese and sliced chicken. Then she pulled out a bottle of elderflower juice and a flask of hot soup and settled those down too. As Vergil meditated, she gobbled up a few sandwiches before she turned to look up at him as he sat atop the boulder overlooking the lake.

"Hey, why don't you come down and have a sandwich? These are pretty good. Hag really made an effort to make human food for me."

He cracked one eye open; her voice echoed everywhere within the cave. As if he would have a sandwich. Plus, he would get no peace at this rate. "...I'm not in the mood to eat."

Lucy shrugged. "Fine, suit yourself."

The silence returned and he closed his eye again, wanting to resume his –

"Ow!"

Vergil opened his eyes again with an acute frown and peered over the boulder; there was Lucy, having abandoned the picnic basket to go ice-skating - or whatever the hell she was attempting to do since she was skidding and sliding messily across the lake surface and she kept falling over – much to his amusement as he continued to watch. He smirked as she toppled for the umpteenth time and went sliding against a sparkly, frozen rock.

He watched as she lifted herself back up with a pained gasp. "Ow." She moaned as she rubbed her nose, trying to sit up only for the slippy surface to cause her to tumble down again. Realizing Vergil was watching her, she said, "Vergil, a little help here?"

He turned away, uninterested in assisting her.

The cave fell silent again and wondering if she'd managed to leave the frozen lake, Vergil turned round again to see her crouching before a small hole in the lake where a pale face in the water was staring back at her. It lifted a hand to her, its hand was white and webbed, and as Lucy was about to reach for it –

Vergil swooped down and was at her side in seconds; he pulled her backwards and returned to the bank of the lake just as the creature hissed and dived underneath the water. Lucy blinked two, three times, snapped out of her daze, and turned to him. "Oh, hey Vergil."

He snarled, "Get out. Now."

"What was that?" Lucy said, pointing to the lake where dark shadows could be seen underneath the thick ice; they had all gathered at their side as though they were waiting for something...

"Out." He barked, and she nodded and picked up the basket and flask of soup and juice bottle and he personally escorted her out. "Don't leave the shack. I won't warn you again. You barely survived Circe's poison and yet you still tempt death to come. What kind of moron are you?"

She pouted and nodded. "...Sorry. I'll be more careful."

"Yes, you should be." He snapped, and they simmered into silence.

"...You can let go now." She croaked out, and he realized he was still holding her. He let go and then delved a hand into the innards of his coat. "What are you doing?" She asked, as Vergil took out the shrunken demon head charm from his coat pocket and looped it around her head. "Ewww, not this thing again..."

"It's a protection charm. It will keep you safe." He replied, and she averted her gaze from the pendant up to him; his face was very close to hers. Clearing her throat, she stepped away from him, her cheeks reddening somewhat.

"But it's so freaky and ugly." Lucy grumbled, jabbing at its shrunken nose with her little finger.

"It does not matter how grotesque or disturbing it is," He added, "It will protect you so I forbid you from removing it. Is that understood?"

He didn't get an answer for she pouted and hung her head, sulking.

"Answer me when I'm talking to you, woman."

"Fine, fine...I won't take it off." Lucy muttered miserably, "What about when I'm taking a shower?"

"Have I not made myself clear? You are to keep it on at all times."

"...O-okay. This thing's dead, right?"

"Regardless if it's deceased, what do you have to worry? It won't go anywhere."

"That's not the point! What if it's eyes suddenly spring open when I'm showering or something?!"

"I assure you then, it is thoroughly deceased." Vergil would then glance at her from head to toe. No words had to be exchanged for the message to sink in, but she frowned and draped an arm over her chest. He scoffed then and they stood in silence. "...Well? What are you waiting for? Why are you still here?"

Lucy nodded and began to make her way towards the path to Hag's shack. "Fine, I'm going. Look after yourself, alright?"

"Don't stray from the path."

"Okay. Come back before it gets dark."

"Yes, I shall. Now go."

"Be careful."

Once Lucy was halfway back up the mountain, it dawned to her that she was smiling and that this time their brief exchange had been rather pleasant. Inwardly, she wondered if Vergil felt the same.

...

Lucy was scrubbing Hag's porch with a damp cloth and bucket when she saw Vergil returning from the cave, probably from a long period of training; Circe was fast asleep near her – the Naga hadn't bothered her since then – and Lucy wiped the sweat off her brow and glanced up at the clear blue sky. It was good weather. Really good weather. She could see birds flying, their wings flapping as they soared through the air effortlessly. She could be doing something else than chores, but Hag needed help and she was more than happy to lend a hand. Dumping her cloth back into the bucket, she squeezed it of excess soapy water and was about to scrub again until a shadow cast over her.

She stopped scrubbing and glanced up. "Vergil?"

"Is this what you have been doing?" He said coldly.

"Since I left the cave, yeah." She said. His eyes narrowed before he crouched down in front of her and she backed away. "What is it...?"

"Hag should be doing this, not you."

She scoffed. "Oh, c'mon, Vergil. Hag's saved me several times by now, she needs help, she's elderly and Circe isn't able to help with the chores either...This is the least I can do for her."

"You're doing her chores."

"Yeah, and then after I scrub the porch, I'm going to do the laundry, then I'm going to hang the laundry, then mop the floor and – " She was cut in mid-sentence when Vergil grabbed her hands and inspected them.

"How long have you been scrubbing?"

"Hmm, a couple of hours now, I think."

"Yet you're still not done." He said with a smirk, letting go of her damp hands, "You're not doing a very good job."

"Hey!" Lucy yelled after him as he stalked past her, retreating down the wooden stairs and into the tall flower fields; she stood up with a frown just as Hag entered the porch.

"Oh my, the porch looks very clean and sparkly. Well done, Lucy. Thank you so much."

"Really? You think so? Oh, thank you, Hag! At least someone appreciates me and my hard work..." Lucy said, throwing her gaze to Vergil's retreating back.

Hag followed her gaze then said, "You should take a break. Go on."

Lucy seemed surprised. "But there's so much left to do."

"It'll be alright." Hag said with a cool smile. _Besides, you should be spending more time with Vergil._

"Well...Okay, but let me know if you want me to come back."

Hag beamed at her wildly. "I'll be fine."

Glancing at Vergil – he stood out like a sore thumb amongst the yellow flowers with his blue coat and all – and Lucy frowned and stormed after him whilst Hag watched with the wide smile playing on her lips as she watched Lucy go after him. Lucy had one thought on her mind - He wasn't going to just get away with insulting her this time. She followed him into the flowers, careful not to lose sight of him and she saw him take a seat on the same rock as last time, apparently wanting to meditate. Once she arrived, he opened one eye slowly and glanced at her.

"Hey."

"What do you want?" He said.

"Hag said I could take a break." She said, "Can I sit with you?"

There was a long and incredibly suffocating silence until -

Vergil got up and abruptly walked away. Lucy scowled as she watched him leave but decided not to follow him.

* * *

**EVENING**

They returned individually to the shack for dinner, and afterwards, Lucy retired early to take a bath. Halfway through her bath, she thought she heard a noise. She stopped humming to herself to listen and slowly glanced around the steamy room but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. She waited for a few seconds, but then shrugged when nothing came out from it. It was probably Hag outside in the lounge. Once she finished her bath, she grabbed the towel, stepped out of Hag's large tub and dried herself then draped the towel around her body and then -

"Boo!"

"ARGHHH!"

A shadow had popped out from above, dangling in front of her face. Lucy's heart practically jumped into her throat until she realized it was Circe; the Naga was hanging out of the ventilation pipe, hovering a few inches from her face.

Nevertheless, Lucy ran out of the bathroom and unfortunately for her case, bumped into Vergil who was passing by – she squeezed her eyes shut as she almost tripped over his foot and was definitely about to meet the ground - had he not grabbed her expertly, and in a smooth flick of his wrist and a twist of his body, he grabbed her by the shoulder and whirled her round and she re-opened her eyes only to see Vergil before her.

"Vergil?" She exclaimed breathlessly, before both glanced over to the door of the bathroom where an amused Circe came slithering out, snickering with glee.

"Hehehehe, I got you good..." The Naga hissed playfully at Lucy, slithering down the corridor and into Hag's room. Her tail disappeared with a rough flick.

Lucy's lip wobbled as Vergil settled her back onto her feet. "What was – "

When he stopped in mid-sentence, she said, "What was what?" He glanced at her up and down, then she threw her gaze to her towel which was now threatening to drop off. She immediately gasped in horror and hastily began to fasten and tighten it around her body as she stood beside him awkwardly, her cheeks burning at the embarrassing ordeal, "Um...I-I'm going to go put some more clothes on – "

"Yes, please do." He growled, averting his gaze from her.

She side-stepped from him and made a beeline for her own room; Vergil took one step forwards, then stopped and slowly threw his glance over his shoulder – at the same time, Lucy had done the same – both stared at each other for a split second, then hurriedly turned away again, walking away to their respective destinations.

* * *

**NIGHT  
**

He had a nightmare.

He dreamt of his mother's death. His father was nowhere to be seen, neither was Dante. It was just himself and he was unable to do anything as he witnessed Eva's violent demise at the hands of demons. He opened his mouth to yell but no sound came out. And then he remembered he was running. He remembered being chased. He remembered he was very afraid. He didn't have Yamato back then. He was young, and he was weak.

Vergil woke up from his dream with a fierce jerk of his eyes to see Lucy crouching in front of him with her hands on his shoulders as though she'd been trying to wake him up, and the first instinct he had was to wrench her arms off him and shove her away, but he regained his composure in a split second.

After all, he was Vergil.

He was the calm one. The one who showed no emotion. The one who took control.

"Are you okay?" She asked, and he lowered his gaze to her hands on his shoulders.

"Let go." He said calmly. Respecting his wishes and also taking note of the iciness in his tone, she released him slowly and returned to sit in her bed, watching him.

He was in her room, having decided to keep watch. Yamato was close, leaning against the wall. He never let it be far out of reach, or from his view. He sat up from his seat and reached for his blade, picking it up and feeling its weight in his palm. The nightmare he'd had was forgotten.

They observed each other for a few long moments until she said, "You were having a bad dream."

Without even responding to that, he left her room.

She got up, pulled on her oversized sweater over her nightie and followed him. He wasn't sure why he wasn't stopping her, whipping round and telling her to leave him alone. He usually did that. Instead, he allowed her to follow him out of the shack and into the back porch where he could see the night sky and feel the cool wind. The flowers in Hag's field were bathed in the darkness and swaying gently in the wind, offering a sense of calmness and serenity. He sat down on the wooden surface and looked up at the sky, at the faint stars and the full moon. Lucy joined him, sitting cross-legged, before she glanced at him curiously.

"What is it." He said, without looking at her.

"...Do you want talk about it?"

"No."

Glancing left and right, she then said, "Do you like being alone?"

A strange question. "I have a preference for solitude, yes. I can gather my thoughts."

"What kind of thoughts?"

He gave her a sour look. "That doesn't concern you."

"Well, I'm still here. I guess I'm an exception? You're not telling me to go away. It was the same earlier this morning, too. You allowed me to sit beside you. It was so exciting, just sitting in silence for like, three hours."

Despite how much sarcasm was dripping from her voice, he stilled somewhat. She observed his reaction with much interest. Finally, he bit out, "...As long as you are quiet then I would not object."

Unable to contain it any longer, Lucy let out a stifled laugh which earned her a cold glare from the half-devil. He noticed that she was smiling to herself happily. They sat in silence for a while until -

"I should've said this earlier, but thanks for getting the cure." She said.

"What did I say about being quiet?"

"Sorry, but I wanted to say thanks."

Guess the conversation was on. "You are a very lucky human to have cheated death a second time." Or was it the third or fourth? How many times had he saved her by now?

"And here I thought you found me insufferable, miserable, and that you pitied me."

"I still find you insufferable, miserable and pitiable."

Such a handsome face but his mouth spewed out such harsh words. She scoffed and said, "Well, you definitely seem fine and back to normal now."

"Yes, because you ingested the poison, fool."

"If it wasn't for this 'fool', you'd probably be dead by now."

A sigh escaped his lips. "What do you want?"

She turned to him. "What?" She said, scrunching her brows, "I don't want anything. Why do you always think I do things just to earn rewards or something? Just because I'm human, doesn't mean I'm a corrupted, greedy slob. Ohhhhh, I bet you're still thinking I did it because I fancy Dante."

"No."

"Huh?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "I don't think that anymore."

She blinked numbly in response as he turned to face her fully. "...Uh..." Now that he was properly healed, he really did look identical to Dante, except his hair was swept up away from his eyes. She saw his thin eyebrows, knitted tightly and his mouth was upturned into a frown. And to think she thought he had the face of a demon considering he was half-devil. No, it was in fact the exact opposite. Maybe it was the moonlight that appeared to be making him more handsome than usual. All she knew was, maybe it wasn't a good thing being alone with Vergil after all...

When he neared her, she instinctively began to back away. "You have been attempting to seduce me all day." He said.

Her eyes went wide. "WHAT?"

"If you are not attempting to seduce me then why have you been following and distracting me all day. You pranced out of the bathroom barely dressed and now you purposely stand before me whilst indecently exposing your legs."

"I ran out of the bathroom because Circe gave me the biggest fright of my life! And you just happened to be there! Just because I've been following you or whatever doesn't mean I want to seduce you! How on earth did you come to that conclusion?" Lucy barked, crossing her arms, "Believe me, if you think I'm deliberately exposing myself to you right now and think I'm trying to seduce you then you are sooooo wrong because if I was going to try anything I'd probably be like wearing skimpy lacy underwear and heavy makeup and I'd be batting my eyes at you twenty four seven! In fact, I think it's the other way around now! You held my hands, you went all funny when you found out I was doing all the chores, you've even promoted me to some kind of higher level because you allowed me to sit beside you this morning, you stay in my room - not once but _several times_ by now - and you even gave me that horrible butt-ugly shrunken demon head protection charm! Who's the one trying to seduce who, HMM?"

There was a slight silence.

Vergil stood up, eyes narrowing. "Ludicrous. If you weren't such a weakling I wouldn't have resorted to such humiliating means to preserve your wretched life."

"Then stop protecting me! Nobody asked you!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Why is it not possible?!"

"Because you're my mate."

The dreaded word had finally surfaced, which she discovered that neither Vergil or herself had properly discussed about... and Lucy's anger and frustration withered away into confusion. Now she was reduced to a stuttering mess, "...S-so...So you..."

"And it disgusts me." He added, lifting out the compass from his pocket and holding it up in the air, letting it dangle, "To even think that a weak little human is inexplicably connected to me in such a manner, just because of a vow my father made to one of your ancestors many years ago."

This would be the first time she had heard of this. "What vow?"

He returned the compass to his pocket. "I've yet to find your purpose...whether I need to cut you open and let you bleed it out, or if it requires us to actually mate...regardless, _somehow _you are key...but that's all you are and there will be nothing else. I was promised power and you will deliver it either way. That's at least, the very end of the bargain which the likes of _you_ can uphold considering you've caused me nothing but headaches and much grief. You asked me why I keep watch and why I gave you that demon protection charm...that is the sole reason why I am preserving your miserable life."

Fuming, Lucy's fists curled. "So that's what you've been thinking the whole entire time! You're just putting up with me because it's all for 'power'! You know what? Just do me a favor and cut me open and just let it bleed out of me because I won't 'mate' with you, even if you were the last guy on earth. I'd rather let the earth's population die out than preserve your shitty genes. The idea of it makes me want to throw up in my mouth! In fact, I lied back there – " She wasn't sure where this was coming from but now this was pure spite and utter malice coming from her lips, "I saved your life because yeah, I _DO_ like Dante. I like him much, much more than you. He's so much friendlier, smarter, warmer and _stronger_ than you and I wish he was my mate, not you!"

She wasn't sure why she had yelled those lies out. She just knew she was so angry with him, so so angry...she was furious at everything he'd just said, how inconsiderate he was for saying those terrible, cruel words. She knew he could be cold, but now it hurt her and bothered her more than ever. And now that she had said her piece, it made her feel good. However, before she could stomp away, he reached over and seized her by the wrist. She whirled round to him and snapped, "Let go. I believe I've said all I need to say."

His eyes were ablaze with anger. "Yes, you've said quite a lot tonight. In fact, I think I need to teach that disrespectful mouth of yours some manners. You think it wise to anger me? How infuriating you are."

"Look who's talking! Take a good look in the mirror, pal! You're equally infuriating too! Only a complete and utter idiot can put up with you!" Maybe it was the comments about Dante that was making him behave this way because usually Vergil was a very calm and mature individual.

"Is it true."

"What?!"

"What you said about my brother."

" - Yes."

"You hesitated."

"No, I didn't!"

Eyes narrowing, he began to back her against the wall, towering over her completely, "You prefer Dante over me?"

"Yes!"

"You think he is stronger than me?"

"Yes!"

"You think he is smarter than me?"

"Yes! I mean, no! I don't know! Probably not! But that's not the point here!"

"And you wish he was your mate?"

"Ye – mmpph!"

He silenced her by leaning down and pressing his lips against hers, taking her by surprise. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers and she stiffened all over as it finally registered in her mind that he was kissing her. She thought he'd be rough, considering how angry she'd made him but to her surprise he was gentle...and he was passionate and controlled. His lips were cold against hers, just like the last time when they kissed, although that probably didn't count because it didn't last very long and she didn't know why they were kissing in the first instance. But this time...the way his lips meshed with hers...it felt good. It felt right. Their lips meshed well together, like a perfect fit. He was beginning to kiss her with more force than before, that it was beginning to become sore. As though sensing the discomfort, he began trailing his lips over the side of her neck and she turned away, grabbing at the lapels of his coat. He was also no longer holding her by the wrist as she had thought, instead he had possessively taken hold of her hips before one hand trailed down the length of her leg and went under the rims of her sweater and her nightie.

She tried to pull away from him, causing him to bite the tender flesh of her nape, marking her. With his face buried in her neck, his hair tickling her cheeks, she croaked out, "W-what are you – " She leapt when his hand brushed against the side of her panties, fingering the silk.

"...You're wearing lace." He returned to claim her mouth, murmuring against her lips as she blushed.

Not knowing what to do, she squeezed her eyes shut and continued to clutch the lapels of his coat to stop her hands from shaking and when he pulled away, Lucy was left blinking dumbly into space. She was in too much shock to meet his gaze but she could feel his eyes on her. Maybe he was waiting for her reaction. When she did nothing, she felt his hands leaving her and she was alone in the porch.

...

Before Vergil returned to his room, he came across Hag who came limping into the corridor, yawning. "What's with all the noise?" She said groggily. "Were you and Lucy arguing again?"

"No."

"Then..."

"Hag."

"Yes, Vergil?"

"You once said that she was mine and it was up to me if I wanted her or not."

"Um, yes, I do believe I said something like that..."

A smirk appeared on his face, "Then I think I will have her."


	19. Chapter 19

Hello everyone, thanks for the fabulous reviews. I have a question though - when is Vergil too OOC in a Vergil x OC? You should all know that I can get really stuck and puzzled on his character and especially now considering Vergil x OC is coming into effect. I already have a hard time wondering what he'd say and do half the time, and now him and Lucy... I've read Vergil x OC fics where - ok, ok, they were lemons and in those fics he is extremely passionate (or just really horny/lusty I dunno). Then I've read fics where he barely shows any affection and all romance or fluffy stuff is kept to a minimum, so he's still quite cold in a way. So what would Vergil do in a Vergil x OC? Should he be going after Lucy like a horny beast? Or should it be watered down? Would he be teasing her? I never realized how difficult this was. Anyway, some help or opinions on Vergil's character would be greatly appreciated. Sorry if it sounds like I don't know my stuff and I'm giving you bother, but sometimes I kinda wonder what you guys think too.

Welp, aside from that, enjoy this chapter. I needed to write about Dante and Bones. There is an old profile which I posted up by accident where it says Bones' finds out what happened to her sister and isn't sure what to do. I've changed that now to reflect in this chapter.

* * *

_"There's no place like home."_

...

...

_Vergil kissed me._

Her eyes went wide.

_OhmahgashwhatthehellsigoingonwhyIdonteven – _

**_KNOCK KNOCK._**

"Eep! W-who is it?" Lucy squeaked, bursting out of her thoughts.

"It's me."

_Ooh, it's Hag..._ Lucy slipped out of bed and went to the door, opening it to reveal the witch who came shuffling inside. "Good morning, Hag."

"Good morning, Lucy. Did you sleep well last night?"

Lucy's face reddened. "U-um...yeah. It was okay."

Hag inwardly sighed and limped to the table and chair and sat down. Lucy followed her and sat down opposite her. "Are you alright, my dear?"

"Yes, of course I am. Why do you ask?"

Resting her palms on the top of her cane, Hag sighed again. "I apologize for Vergil's behavior. He was such a good boy when he was young. Now he's become so cold and aloof and no-one can tolerate his off-handish ways." Then she reached over and squeezed Lucy's hand affectionately. "Not many people can tolerate his manners and his way of speaking...Perhaps it is only myself and Dante who can see past that front of his, but you have been so good to him and for that, I am eternally grateful."

Lucy smiled wryly at her and planted her other hand atop of Hag's and patted her; if only Hag was aware of the argument they'd had last night which ended up with them making out. "Hag, you don't have to – "

But Hag lifted a hand to silence her. "No, it is alright, my dear. Let me apologize to you on my grandson's behalf. I know he is difficult. I know he can be cruel and cold. I know he can come across as unfeeling and uncaring. But deep inside – " Hag let go of Lucy's hand to clasp her bony fist over her chest where her heart should be. "He is_ good_."

Lucy nodded. "...I know."

...

A few hours later and Lucy was sitting in the flower fields, scratching Circe's belly for her. The Naga was stretched out to her full length with her beady blood red eyes closed, basking in the warm sun until Lucy sighed heavily.

"You've been sighing all day." Circe hissed, opening one eye and lifting her head to look at her. "It's annoying."

"Sorry." Lucy mumbled, "I can't seem to help myself."

"I know what it means."

"You do?"

"Yes. Isn't it obvious? You're in love."

Lucy stood up abruptly, spluttering. "W-wh-what! No way!"

Circe nodded and rose to Lucy's height although half her body was still lying on the ground. Lucy swallowed inwardly as Circe towered above her. Circe's size seemed to be either changing or she was simply growing and growing. A couple of days ago and she was the length of Hag's elbow. When she frightened Lucy in the bathroom, she was a considerable length, perhaps around three foot. Now she appeared to be ten or twenty. "It's love, you foolish human. You can't stop thinking about him, can you?"

It was true that she'd been thinking about Vergil the entire morning. "I guess so, but only because he's so confusing and drives me crazy half the time. Circe, what do you know about love?"

"Me? I'm a Naga. Nagas do not love, but I've been around much humans to know what is love. And this is love."

"But you wanted Vergil, then you asked for Dante."

"Who wouldn't want a Son of Sparda?" Circe said, which made Lucy blink in astonishment. "That's a good question, isn't it? That should give you something to think about. Why have you stopped? I didn't tell you to stop."

"Oh, sorry." Lucy replied, and it was back to raking her nails over Circe's scaly skin. It was a bit of a strange task but the Naga insisted she helped her scratch or else she would have to resort to curling herself against a tree which she didn't seem too happy with.

"Ahhh, that really hit the spot," Circe said, once Lucy finished scratching, "You aren't as useless as I thought."

"Geez, thanks Circe."

"A token of my appreciation." The Naga spat out a dead furry carcass at Lucy's feet; she shuddered when she realized it was a dead rat.

Circe then slithered away, disappearing between the thick fauna, presumably to go hunting or return to Hag. Lucy was left on her own but she decided to follow Circe towards the direction of Hag's shack until the Naga went slithering over and squeezed her body into a grassy hole – probably a rabbit's nest or something - and Lucy climbed up the porch and glanced up to see Vergil at the door. Immediately, she froze up in the spot. Vergil was the last person she wanted to see at the moment. Ever since she woke up this morning, she hadn't seen him and he hadn't appeared to her until now. For a long time she rehearsed what she would say to him and what she would do but now it had all flown from her mind.

However, the first thing she did was spin round on her heel and attempt to return to the field until Vergil suddenly teleported in front of her.

"Eek!" She took a few steps backwards, her heart pounding as he loomed over her. "Y-you scared me. What are you doing?"

He said nothing but his expression was rather dark as he continued to watch her.

The silence was suffocating so she said, albeit a little nervously, "Vergil. Say something."

Finally, his lips moved. "You were not in your room so I decided to look for you."

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Oh...well, I've been in the fields all morning; I was with Circe."

"How can you trust that snake?"

"She's harmless. And she even gave me a dead rat as a gift."

"Hn. Meaningful, but useless," was Vergil's comment.

"Yeah, you can have it. I'm not really a fan of dead rats."

"No, thank you, and I tire of this dismal conversation." He grunted, before he began to walk up the steps of the porch and she began inching backwards, his gaze never leaving hers. Soon, she found herself in the same position she was in last night with her back against the wooden walls of the shack and Vergil towering over her.

"Ahhh, what are you – " She stopped when Vergil leaned closer and she squeezed her eyes. It was like déjà vu - she felt his close proximity, his hands suddenly landed on her hips, his hair tickling her cheeks again - and when he grazed her neck ever so slightly, she leapt and her hands went to his shoulders. When he began to bite at her flesh, she flailed slightly, "What are you doing? Get off!"

But he wasn't letting go, instead he continued sucking and nipping at her neck and suddenly, the door opened and –

"Lucy, I have your – oh." Hag was at the door with Lucy's backpack, staring wide-eyed at the two. Vergil lifted his face out of Lucy's nape to glance over whilst the girl stared at the witch in terror. However, Hag immediately turned away and quickly dumped Lucy's bag on the floor, "Whoops! I'm so sorry, I didn't see anything, please continue, don't mind me..."

"No, wait, Hag!" Lucy cried, as Vergil continued to bite at her neck. "Ohh, could you just – how long are you going to - are you done?!"

His lips left her neck briefly and he looked up at her. "No. Not quite."

"Ugh!" She exclaimed, as he proceeded to bury his face into her neck and nip at her flesh, "Get off! Get off get off get off!" She tried to push him away but to no avail and when he finally released her, Lucy was left glaring at him, her neck wet and sore. She was still wrapped up in his arms as she put a hand to her neck and her fingers ran over a distinct bump. Vergil seemed satisfied, however. "What the hell was that for?"

"We will return to Dante's shop. With that mark on your neck, my brother will know you belong to me."

She flushed slightly, then frowned. "So? I can just cover it up. I'll just put a scarf or use makeup to – "

"If you dare to," He growled, "Then I shall truly punish you."

"Is that supposed to scare me?!" She barked, "Why are you doing this anyway? So you're accepting that I'm your mate?"

Vergil's brow raised in response to her fiery attitude before he leaned into her and she fell silent. He could hear how fast her heart was beating as he murmured, "Perhaps."

Lucy's jaw fell open.

And he left the porch without a second glance. "We're leaving." He said, whilst Lucy was left to seethe and growl at him.

She went to grab her backpack off the floor, donning it quickly before she rushed after Vergil, waving at Hag who had popped out of the door again. "Bye Hag! Bye Circe! Thanks for everything!"

"Goodbye Lucy, and good luck." Hag waved after them, whilst Circe emerged from the rabbit hole with several dead baby rabbits in her mouth. She slithered up to Hag and proudly dumped the furry little bodies at her feet; the witch merely shook her head as she patted Circe affectionately. "Well, they seem to be getting along fine. I wonder how Dante is doing..."

* * *

Dante and Bones had been journeying in silence since leaving the shop. It would be dark once they arrived at Bones' hometown. They also encountered a few demons on the way and he used Bones in her devil-arm form at some point. He was used to having her around and she made a pretty decent Devil arm.

"Do you think it was a good idea to leave your brother and Lucy on their own?" Bones asked, and he shrugged.

"They need to spend some quality time together." was Dante's response, "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't know. Maybe your brother, with his usual tact and subtlety, will offend a highly powerful sorceress who decides to extract revenge and go after him and Lucy."

Dante turned to her and laughed loudly. "Hahaha, that's some imagination you got there." He slapped her on the back, chuckling. "Heeey, I think this might be it." Pulling out an old map to its fullest length (which Bones insisted they take with them), Dante took one edge of the map whilst Bones took the other and they both lowered the map in their hands.

Before them were a mass of dilapidated ruins – they appeared to be buildings albeit in terribly poor shape... abandoned, covered in moss and cobwebs... and half of them were crumbling. There didn't seem to be anyone. A wooden sign on the ground amongst piles of rubbish, brick and wood caught Dante's interest and he went over and plucked it up, using his fingers to scrape away the dirt and rot. It said 'Garnet City'. Checking the map once again, it didn't seem to be registered and Dante and Bones threw their glances at each other.

"This can't be right." Bones was first to comment, "It's deserted."

They wandered in without further ado, stepping through two signposts - although to Dante, it was as though Bones knew where she was headed as they delved deeper within the ghost town. She walked quickly down the beaten path, turning a few corners, a few lefts and rights, and finally she came to a stop. "...This was where my house used to be."

Instead, there was nothing but more piles of brick and debris.

"Where is my home?!" Bones cried out, clearly in distress.

"Relax, Bones, I'm sure – "

A sound to the right had both Dante and Bones whipping their heads to the direction of the noise and whilst Dante pulled out Ebony and Ivory, Bones narrowed her eyes as a rather disheveled looking middle-aged man dressed in a plaid brown suit and slacks emerged out from one of the dilapidated homes; however, having caught sight of the duo, there was a slight silence that spawned before –

"Are you a demon hunter?"

Dante raised a brow. "Uh..."

"Yes, he is. And you are?" Bones said, answering the question for Dante.

The man removed his brown fedora and offered Dante his hand to shake. "My name is Morrison. I need your help."

Dante shook his hand. "...Name's Dante. And this is Bones. Soooo, who are you and what are you doing here?" He crossed his arms as Bones joined his side.

Morrison said, "I'm a travelling salesman...well, account manager, to be more precise. My car broke down nearby and I came here to find some help. Unfortunately I didn't realize it was completely abandoned...no-one else is here, and now I can't leave."

That piqued Dante's and Bones' interest. "You can't leave? What do you mean?"

"You see... This town, when the clock strikes twelve, midnight...I see odd shapes and figures in the dark. I tried to leave, but each time I step foot out of this town through the signpost, or anywhere, I just end back up here, like I'm on a loop." Morrison explained. "I can't get out of here."

Dante and Bones exchanged glances. "Midnight, you say?"

"Yes."

"How long have you been here?"

"I've only been here two days. If we don't leave soon, we'll die of hunger and thirst."

Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Right, let's get outta here, Bones. Don't wanna get caught up in this curse too."

Bones seemed confused. "Curse?"

"Yeah. C'mon, Morrison. Show us what you mean."

"Very well."

They walked with the man named Morrison to the entrance of the town where the two signposts were and once Morrison took one step outwith the signposts, he was immediately repelled backwards by an invisible force and he landed flat on the ground. "See what I mean?" Morrison croaked out, as Bones helped him back up to stand. He rubbed his back, whilst Dante went over to the signposts, inspecting them.

"Okay, our turn now." Dante grabbed Bones and before she knew what he was doing, they both walked through the signposts – however, unlike Morrison, who had been pushed backwards, they appeared exactly at the entrance of the town, with the middle-aged man staring at them with widened eyes.

"Wh-what...what happened? You two...disappeared from my vision and you had your backs to me, then you disappeared and now it's like you've stepped back in."

"I think I know what's going on here." Dante said.

"You do?" Bones sounded surprised.

"Yeah." Dante said with a nod, "Something's got this town under control. Something evil, with a powerful attachment to this place. During the day, it looks like a normal ghost town, but once you step inside, you're already trapped inside its realm so no matter how many times you try to escape, it'll just bring you back right here on this exact spot."

"Can we get out?" Morrison asked. "I have a wife and child at home. I need to get to back to them."

Dante nodded. "Consider this your lucky day, Morrison, but first, we need to kill this demon."

"But we don't know what it is or where it is." Bones said.

"Somehow I get the feeling it's got somethin' to do with you, Bones." Turning to Morrison, Dante said, "Is there anything you know about this town?"

"Well...I saw a derelict library closeby. A few books are still in good condition; there could be some information about the town's history here."

"That's a good place to start." Dante muttered, and he began making a beeline for the library, with Bones and Morrison trailing after him. "How long until midnight?"

Morrison checked his wristwatch. "...Two hours."

...

At the so-called library, which was another deserted, rundown building, Dante was rifling through some books that were surprisingly intact, throwing them over his shoulder one by one until he finally came across one of interest. He rifled through some pages until he went "Aha!"

"Dante, did you find something?" Bones said, returning to his side at once.

"I knew it."

"What?"

"Sophia Tremaine."

Bones did a double-take at the sound of the name. "Huh? My sister...?"

He let her look at the book with him. "According to this book about the town's history, a poor and sickly girl called Sophia Tremaine became possessed by sixty six demons. Her health plummeted and the people of the town all believed it was an illness and her sister went to find a cure for her but ultimately never returned. Sophia's condition worsened until they decided to take it into their hands and perform an exorcism on her."

Bones' expression turned dark. "...What."

"However, they unleashed the sixty six demons by accident and the creatures began to inflict the rest of its inhabitants and the town with plague. The town fell into ruin and Sophia was burned at the stake. The rest of her family were hanged." Once Dante finished reading the excerpt, he turned to the demon beside him. "...Bones...?"

His response was the sound of Bones' clenched fist grinding so tightly he heard her knuckles crack.

"I...I...er...I'm sorry." Dante muttered, a little awkwardly. "...But I think we found the source of this curse."

Bones was silent, until Morrison came charging inside the library. "I don't mean to interrupt you two, Mr Dante, Miss Bones...but it's almost midnight."

Dante nodded and stood up. "I wanna see this." Turning to Bones, he decided to leave her on her own for a while and followed Morrison outside. The moon was full, the sky was pitch black, the rest of the town was still and silent until –

There was a rustle. A distinct breeze. Morrison glanced around nervously whilst Dante rubbed at his chin in thought. He could hear faint footsteps, the sounds of horseshoes over cobblestone but there was nothing before him except the ruined town. Ghosts, perhaps? He heard whispering, faint conversations and murmurs, but nothing remotely comprehensible. Suddenly, a faint glow appeared from the distance and rounded the corner, approaching their direction. Morrison swallowed the growing lump in his throat until the light grew closer and closer and Dante could see the silhouette of a man remove his top hat, greeting Dante and Morrison.

"G'evening, sirs." said the ghost, passing Dante and Morrison. The ghostly figure began to take shape, taking the solid form of a Victorian man.

"You weren't kidding." Dante murmured, as the rest of the town began to shift into life before them. Buildings came into view, the path that was once beaten and faint, grew clearer and clearer. Lights began to settle in, illuminating the streets. Finally, Bones left the library and Dante turned to her as she stopped beside him. "You okay?"

"...No." She said, "I can't...I can't believe what happened here after I left. I shouldn't have left in the first place! If I didn't leave, then I wouldn't have died, Sophia wouldn't have died, and neither would the rest of my family!"

He took her shoulders firmly, noticing that she was emitting a black aura, "Bones, snap out of it!"

She blinked sluggishly, shaking her head. "Oh...I...I'm sorry..."

"S'okay, but we need to get outta here."

"What do you propose, Mr Dante?" Morrison asked, as Dante let go of Bones.

"The usual. Beat the shit outta everything until the culprit reveals itself." With that, Dante whipped the guitar case that was hanging off his back and pulled out Rebellion which he had kept hidden inside. With his large sword in hand, he sent it swinging at the first building and a few of the ghosts gasped in horror, responding to him. "Haha! Yeah! Take that! I'm gonna destroy everything until you come out!"

Bones watched Dante as he continued to destroy the rest of the buildings before there was a loud unearthly shriek a distance away which shook the ground and caused the demon hunter to stop in his tracks.

"Mr Dante, was this really a good idea?" Morrison asked worriedly.

"Bones, take Morrison to safety, alright? I'm countin' on ya."

Bones nodded, a little reluctantly, and turning to Morrison, she said, "Come with me, Mr Morrison."

Without further ado, Morrison promptly followed Bones back inside the library.

Alone, Dante held Rebellion up at the full moon where he could see a figure standing atop the spire of the restored church a distance away. "You there! Wanna come down and dance?"

He could see two red eyes glowing in the darkness and whilst the rest of the ghosts dispersed, the shadow came swooping at him and Dante avoided the grappling assault, the cobblestone ground shattering. The creature emitted another high-pitched shriek and the culprit revealed itself - he saw a rotting corpse with elongated thin arms that finished in three sharp claws. It was undoubtedly female, with sagging breasts and matted black hair. Whilst she had the majority of her lower body, she had no feet, instead she hovered above the ground in a wisp of black smoke. Her features were discernible save from sunken red eyes and a missing lower jaw that exposed a long, equally rotted tongue.

Usually he'd make a jarring comment, something like 'Dang you're one ugly babe', but instead his eyes softened and he said, "Sophia, it's you, isn't it?"

The wraith did not respond in any other manner except emit an ear-splitting screech at him, throwing its head back and its tongue went thrashing before it dived for him once more. She was no longer human. She was a demon, an evil spirit full of anger and hatred. Dante battled the creature, unleashing a few bullets on her only for her to disappear and reappear in various places. He evaded another assault by rolling to the side but just as he avoided, the wraith vanished from his sight and then its talon came ripping through his arm. He grunted, having been attacked from behind. He had narrowly missed it by sensing its presence close to him.

"Sophia!"

He looked up when he saw Bones coming to his aid, and she stopped in front of Dante, facing the wraith. "Bones, what are you doing? Get outta here."

"No way. It's Sophia. I can feel it."

"She's become a demon, Bones!"

"There must be another way!"

"Like what?"

Bones turned to him, "I'm sorry, Dante, this is happening because of me. I should be the one doing this."

"Bones, wait – " Dante said, reaching for her, but before he could stop her, Bones lifted her hand, attempting to crush the wraith the same manner as she did with the spider demon but as she stared at the demon before her, she couldn't seem to bring herself to. As the wraith lunged at her, taking advantage of her hesitation, Dante shoved her away and as the wraith came at them, he thrust Rebellion towards her, ready to deliver the finishing blow.

"No!" Bones yelled before she pushed herself off the ground, standing in front of Dante, shielding him from the wraith. She gasped when Rebellion pierced her body and out, piercing the wraith behind her as well in progress.

Dante's eyes widened immediately. "Bones?!"

She looked up at him in shock, at his grip on the handle of his greatsword, before Dante's eyebrows knitted in confusion. He pulled Rebellion out of the two demons, and Bones fell to the ground. He caught her and propped her up in his lap, shaking her firmly.

"Bones!"

"Dante..."

Shaking his head in disbelief, he clutched her tightly in his arms. "Why did you do that?"

"Well...you told me...when we first met: you're a demon hunter...and I'm a demon...We aren't a good mix, you and I...this is how it's meant to be..."

"That's not true." He murmured, glancing up when he saw the wraith shrieking and flailing until its withered, grotesque appearance stripped away and a blinding burst of light from its wound caused him to shield his eyes. Once the light died down, he lowered his hand to see a young woman with flowing blond hair staring at them.

"Sophia...?" Bones croaked out in shock as she stared at the woman before them, "...Is that you?"

The ghost of Sophia said nothing, but her lips curled into a smile before she offered Bones her hand.

"Can I...?" Bones muttered, glancing at Dante.

"Really? You gotta ask ME that?" Dante said, with a roll of his eyes, "Go on. It's your sister."

"Thanks, Dante."

He let go of Bones, who stood up and as she clutched at her chest, light began pouring from her wound and just like with what happened to Sophia's horrendous demonic form, Bones' usual appearance and attire stripped away to reveal a face and long flowing hair identical to Sophia's. Dante's eyes widened for the umpteenth time. Twins? They were twins?

"I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Sophia." Bones said.

"It's alright, Elizabeth." said Sophia's ghost; her voice was an echo. "I never forgot you."

"I never forgot you too. I'm so sorry."

Sophia simply smiled in response. "Elizabeth..."

"Are mother and father alright?"

"Yes, they're alright. Shall we go home now?"

Bones nodded, trying to keep her tears in but failing miserably. "...Yes, let's." She took Sophia's hand and turned to Dante, who was grinning at the entire scene until their surroundings began to change and the buildings began reverting to their old, dilapidated state. It was also the crack of dawn, casting a warm glow on the horizon. Morrison emerged from the library and joined Dante's side. "Thank you, Dante, for taking me back home." Bones said; her voice was becoming an echo, too.

Dante nodded slowly, returning Rebellion on the holster on his back. "I'm glad and happy for you. Don't miss me too much, alright?"

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss ya too."

"I won't ever forget you."

"Music to my ears; I won't forget you either."

"Goodbye, Dante."

"Bye, Bones – I mean, _Elizabeth_." He said, with a wink.

When the sun finally appeared over the horizon, Bones and Sophia turned and began to run down the path, smiling and laughing, and he would watch as they slowly disappeared, along with the rest of the ghostly inhabitants and the buildings, returning the town entirely to its derelict state. Only Morrison and Dante were left, bathed in silence and the sun's warm glow.

"Bye Bones." Dante muttered once more; with a half-hearted sigh, he threw his glance down to his lap where Bones' old and rotted skeleton lay curled up in his arms. He remembered the last time he'd seen it; she carried it around or it floated beside her. Now it no longer seemed to be connected to her.

"What was that?" Morrison asked, clearly in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.

"She's gone to a better place, reuniting with her sister." Dante murmured; he stood up, with the skeleton in his grip. "I'll find a proper place to bury her."

"Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I'm fine. You should check up on your car."

Morrison nodded. "I can't believe what felt like a few mere minutes was actually hours." He murmured, as he checked his wristwatch. It was almost five am.

Dante agreed, "Most people don't survive ghostly towns or demon attacks, Morrison. You're a lucky man."

The middle-aged man seemed relieved. "Thank you for all your help. I'm indebted to you. Perhaps I can offer you a lift home, Dante."

"That would be pretty sweet."

They split up – Morrison went to check on his car whilst Dante found a good spot to bury Bones – he found a patch of blooming white flowers near the church and it seemed like a nice place so he searched around for anything he could use to dig and find an old shovel but still in working order near one of the rundown stores. He removed his weapons and his coat to begin his digging and it was only until Morrison, having performed some minor handy work on his car, returned a few hours later to tell him the good news. Dante placed Bones on the ground and then began burying her and Morrison rolled up his sleeves to assist him. Once the two men were done, Dante paid his last respects and turned to the man.

"So, you're a demon hunter?" Morrison said.

"Yeah."

"How would you like to make a few bucks? I know some people who might need your help or perhaps I could help manage your client portfolio."

"Sounds good to me," Dante said, "You should swing by my place sometime. It's called 'Devil May Cry'."

Morrison returned his grin. "Sounds good to me too." He replied, "Let's go. I got the car back up and running."

"Great. I call shotgun, Bones - " Dante said, only to stop himself in time. He was so used to having her around; Morrison patted him on the back and made his way towards the car, leaving Dante to throw a glance over his shoulder at the burial spot. Bones really was gone...

* * *

It was great to be home.

"I'm baaaaaaack." Dante hollered as he kicked open the doors to Devil May Cry to see Vergil and Lucy inside; his brother was seated on the sofa whilst Lucy had been mopping the floor, glancing up once he entered.

"Dante! You're back!" She exclaimed; Vergil would hardly voice a greeting but he expected nothing less.

"Yep." Dante said, as he held his arms out; Lucy put down her mop and went to greet him. "Whoa, I can see my reflection on the floor! Nice! You did a nice job."

"Thanks, I've been cleaning all day."

"Ya don't have to clean, you're my guest." Dante cooed, pinching her cheek affectionately. They exchanged a brief hug which had Vergil whipping his head round to them, eyes narrowing. Letting go of Lucy quickly as he had had sensed the animosity aimed towards him, he let Lucy return to her cleaning whilst he sauntered to his fridge and placed his sword down. "Verge, you look good!" He commented on the lack of bandages and Vergil's blatant recovery. It was as though Dante was looking at his reflection (albeit one was that was scowling and had his hair in a different fashion).

"Hn." came his twin's meager response.

"Did you miss me? Yeah, I missed you and Verge as well. You two didn't get up to anything weird when I was gone, right? You used the motel I showed ya? I can still use my bed right? Or have you two finally had se – "

He ducked from a summoned sword aimed at his direction whilst Lucy was too busy mopping a patch of sticky beer in one corner to notice. Dante yelled, "I just got home! Can't you gimme a break?"

"Then choose your words wisely, brother." came Vergil's icy reply.

"Yeah, yeah..." Dante emitted a heavy sigh, opened the fridge door, grabbed a beer and ripped off the lid. He downed a few sips, then wiped the back of his mouth with his hand and joined Vergil on the couch, propping his feet up over the clean coffee table (which he'd now made a mess of using his icky, muddy boots).

"Where is your companion?" Vergil questioned, as Dante pulled off his coat and shirt, leaving himself half-naked.

He shrugged casually. "I took her home."

"You sound upset."

"Eh...it's nothing. She's at peace, I'm happy for her – "

"Dante!" exclaimed Lucy. The twins glanced over to see her gesturing to the coffee table and Dante's muddy boots. "I just cleaned the table and now you've just made a mess of it."

"Ohhh, sorry babe..." Dante moaned, as Lucy sauntered over to the coffee table in front of them with a wet cloth. He lifted his feet away, kicked off his boots and Lucy was left inspecting the mess he'd made.

"It's okay." Lucy muttered, "I'll just give it a quick wipe – " She bent over in front of the twins with the cloth in hand, and unbeknownst to her, the neckline of her top went hanging, exposing a fair amount of cleavage in progress and her bra.

At the sight, Dante raised a brow and grinned, snickering wildly whilst Vergil's expression turned dark immediately. "You missed a spot, Luce." said the younger twin, deliberately pointing to one of the muddy spots closest to him.

"Oh, so I did. Thanks, Dante." She said, reaching forwards and more cleavage was before his eyes; Dante's grin merely widened as he stretched on his couch leisurely, sipping his beer, until he caught sight of a strange, bright red mark on her neck...it looked like a hickey...Dante sat forwards for a better look whilst Vergil abruptly rose from his spot on the couch and grabbed Lucy by the arm. She stopped at once and glanced at him, "Vergil? What's wrong?"

He ignored her. Turning to Dante, he said, "Enjoying the view, brother?"

He glanced away from the hickey on her neck. "Spoilsport. C'mon, admit it, you were enjoying it too!" Dante exclaimed; he watched as Vergil dragged a confused Lucy to the kitchens, slamming the door shut behind them. He could hear indistinct angry conversation and chuckled to himself, grinning widely.

Yep, it was great to be home...


	20. Chapter 20

Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews and also thanks to those who answered my question about Vergil x OC. I think I have a clearer idea of him now. I haven't come across By Blood Connected but I definitely will check it out! Thanks so much! Unnhh, in terms of this chapter... it's kind of a filler, and some tacky things happen lol. But enjoy the tackiness anyway haha. As usual, um...I hope its not too OOC?

* * *

_"Life is hard __and it gets worse __and worse and worse."_

...

...

Vergil was inspecting his torn sleeve; since he went up against Circe and she had used her whip to lash at his arm, splitting the fabric, he'd never really encountered this kind of problem before.

In the lounge, he heard Dante cooing loudly over his mate; Vergil left the bathroom and adjusted the lapels of his coat to see his brother fawning over Lucy, who was dressed in smart black business attire consisting of a white shirt, black blazer and short black skirt, tights and heels. He admitted she looked considerably pleasing to the eye compared to her usual baggy tops or sweats and pants. The final straw came, however, when Dante wolf-whistled loudly which caused her to blush and Vergil to come marching over.

"Hey, Verge! Doesn't she look smart and sexy?" Dante exclaimed whilst Vergil scanned her from head to toe and in return, she awkwardly turned away from his gaze.

"She looks presentable." The older twin muttered.

Dante let out a loud scoff in response to Vergil's choice words and rolled his eyes.

"Oh, um, thanks Vergil. See, that's exactly the look I was going for." Lucy said; she tugged at her skirt and picked up her tote bag, slinging it over her shoulder. Her hickey was still there but covered by the collar of her shirt.

"Where are you going?" Vergil asked.

"I'm just going for a couple of interviews. But I look okay, right? Not too in your face or – "

Dante slung his arm over her shoulder, "I'm tellin' ya, you're looking fine. You'll get hired in a heartbeat. Hell, if I was lookin' for someone to help around here, I'll hire you."

"But I already do help around - "

"Alright, off ya go or else you're gonna be late." Dante steered her towards the doors and prep-talked her; Lucy nodded in agreement and Vergil watched the brief interchange with little interest and watched as she left the shop, waving at the twins. "Don't forget to buy beer! Jack Daniels!" Dante hollered after her. "Good luck!"

Vergil watched as Dante slammed the door shut and the shop went quiet.

"Verge, aren't you going to go with her?"

"No. There is no need."

"But it's Luce's first step into the big, bad, scary world." He added, wiggling his brows, but in response to Vergil's lack of enthusiasm for Lucy's job interviews which she had today, he shrugged and returned to his room for a long nap.

Vergil sat in silence for a while until eyeing the door. Picking Yamato up from the side, he teleported from his spot and arrived outside. Glancing around, he spotted Lucy with her back to him walking down the street and wondered what interviews she had. He followed her a distance away, watching her the entire time. She seemed to occasionally struggle with the height of her heels (even though they were considerably low) and she wobbled often. Finally, Lucy stopped outside a diner and he saw her staring at the windows before she swallowed down the lump in her throat and entered the establishment.

Vergil found an appropriate spot to observe (beneath the canopy of a large tree) and stood outside, crossed his arms. A few passerbys stared at him but he ignored them. He watched as a waitress on roller blades wheeled herself towards Lucy – they exchanged brief words and then Lucy was called inside the back office. It was getting a little harder to see, but after waiting a good half hour, Vergil finally saw Lucy emerge of the diner with a worried expression on her face.

He left his spot and walked up to her. She seemed surprised by his appearance and blinked wildly at him. "Vergil? What are you doing here?"

"You had an interview here?"

"Yeah, I don't think it went very well...They asked me some questions, like...if I've worked at a diner before and if I'd dealt with an angry customer...I couldn't really answer them. I've never worked in a proper place before, so they told me to go apply to McDonalds because they'll take on anyone..."

"Then that was fruitless and you clearly weren't successful in obtaining work."

"Yeah." She hung her head low in disappointment. "Well, I still have a few more interviews left so let's see how they go. Um...why did you come here anyway?"

Vergil said, "I came because I wanted to."

"...Really?"

"Are you wearing the demon protection charm?"

She shook her head. "I can't. It'll stick out like a sore thumb if I wear it."

"Then you may get attacked."

Lucy glanced around nervously in case anyone caught the demon-speak but it seemed no-one was interested. "Vergil, I'll be okay. I'm going to be late for my next interview so I gotta go. See ya." She turned on her heel and headed off towards the direction of her next venue.

Vergil stared at her retreating back and followed her once more. She stopped at a clothes store for females. A small boutique, it seemed. The fashion assistants inside took one look at her as she entered whilst Vergil waited outside, unseen. Lucy would disappear inside the establishment – this time for roughly an hour – and she came back, appearing on the verge of tears.

He approached her once more, frowning. "You are upset."

She shook her head. "I'm okay."

"What happened?"

"Nothing." She stuttered, throwing her glance to the ground. "I'm gonna go to my next interview – "

"Wait." Vergil maneuvered in front of her and made her look up at him. She was trying to hold back tears. "What did they say to you?"

Lucy looked a little reluctant but then she said, "They asked me what Louis Vuitton was, what a Givenchy was, what a Balenciaga was, and I couldn't answer any of those and they just laughed and told me this wasn't the role for me."

Wiping at her eyes, although she wasn't crying, she tottered down the street towards her next destination. This time, Vergil walked with her, and they walked down the busy streets together. "Why are you looking for work?" He asked.

"I should be looking for jobs now. I just don't have enough experience. I mean, how else will I pay for things and stuff? The memorial service has been covered; everything's going to a children's charity. I don't have anything, which is right, because I was just an orphan they took in."

"So you have nothing at all." He stated.

"Well...Father Johnstone left me some money, but I don't want to touch it unless there's an emergency, so I need to find a job to support myself and get by."

"Hn."

"Oh, we're here." Lucy muttered, stopping at a bar; it was called 'The Bull's Eye Bar'.

"You applied here as well?" Vergil replied, narrowing his eyes. He did not like the look of this at all.

She nodded. "Yeah – waitresses needed, no experience necessary." Turning to him, she added, "You should go back home."

He raised a brow. "No. I will wait here until you return."

Lucy stared at him for a little longer than intended, then finally nodded. "Suit yourself but I might be in there for a while."

"I'll wait." He said, and he watched her waddle inside.

And then he waited forty five minutes.

She finally emerged, a happy expression on her face. He didn't even bother to ask as she bounded to him cheerfully and exclaimed, "I got the job! Yay! And they were really nice! I'm so happy!"

"Then you aren't as useless as you thought, considering someone is willing to hire you." He commented, which made her pout.

"Hey! Circe said that to me too! I don't need it from you either!" She barked, "C'mon, let's go back and celebrate!"

...

"Cheers!"

Lucy and Dante clicked beer cans in the air and in unison, downed a few heavy gulps whilst Vergil sat, unamused. It was now evening and his brother and Lucy were 'celebrating' with a large pizza and three packs of beers thus totaling eighteen cans in total, apparently determined to get roaring, pissing drunk.

"I got a job! Yaaaay! I'M SO HAPPY!" Lucy cheered wildly again; her face was becoming a little red. Was she drunk already? She had already gone through four full cans. She flopped against the sofa with Dante and both stared at the ceiling, blinking sluggishly.

"Awww, look at you, you're a happy drunk. That's so cute." Dante slurred; he too, appeared a little drunk. He'd downed five cans already and was on his sixth. "You got a job yaaaaay. Way to goooo. Now you can help me pay some of my bills."

"I know right!?" Lucy cheered, "The first place they was like 'you ain't got no customer experience' then the second place was like 'you don't even know what Gucci means', then the third place was like 'yeah we want you! Come work for us!' I mean, how could I have said no to that?!"

"Haaah, I know..." Dante said drunkenly, before he turned to his brother and swinging his beer to his lips, took another full sip, "Hey Verge...you've been quiet all night...say something...are you still there? Verge? Hellooooooo?"

"Imbecile. Of course I'm still here. You are both intoxicated; there won't be much use in attempting conversation." He muttered in response.

"Geez...you're such a stick in the mud...sometimes I wonder how we're twins. Like...two born from one...all that kind of shit..."

"A question I ask myself everyday too, brother."

"HAAAAH. But I don't mind...I like having you for a brother. You're okay." Dante mumbled, struggling as he reached out to pat Vergil on the back only for the blue twin to move away and Dante fell face-flat on the sofa with his arm outstretched and grappling air. Meanwhile, Lucy jumped off the sofa to stand, swaying slightly in front of the twins.

"Heeeey, let's put some music on...where's all the music?" Lucy waddled over to Dante's jukebox and began prodding at it with her index finger. "Why's this thing not turning on? What's wrong with it?"

Dante lifted his face off the sofa seat and groaned, "Uh...I musta broke it, sorry..."

"Geez, Dante, you break everything in your house."

"I know..."

She returned to sit down beside him and this time, she swung her arm around his shoulder and he looked up at her groggily. "Let's make our own music. Hmmm, any songs you know?"

"Uh..."

"Never mind! I got one!" Lucy shouted, "Nugget in a biscuit, nugget in a biscuit, dip it all in mashed potatoes!"

Dante gave her a funny look. "What the hell was that?"

She stopped and pouted. "...You don't like it? It's kinda catchy."

"Luce. Do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't sing."

"Ohhhh."

She whined as he rose to stand and wobbled to his bathroom, clutching at his stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick..." He didn't even bother slamming the door shut behind him and leaned over the bowl where Vergil and Lucy could hear him retching violently.

"Ewwww, Dante..." Lucy said with a wince, whilst he continued. "Unggh...I don't feel so good either..."

With that, she flopped over the couch, face down, in the same manner as Dante had earlier.

The shop turned silent.

Finally, Vergil stood up, and having been a spectator to such events, walked to the bathroom to see Dante fast asleep whilst slumped over the toilet. He decided to leave him the way he was and returned to the lounge and walked over to Lucy who was sprawled over the couch. Her eyes were closed and she was groaning inaudibly in discomfort. Hopefully from this experience she would think twice before overloading herself with booze. When she shivered slightly and sniffed, he knew he had to return her to her room instead of leaving her out in the lounge where it was rather cold. Vergil proceeded to lift her off the couch and into his arms where she groaned uncomfortably the entire time as he carried up the stairs and into her room. He deposited her onto the bed and she automatically curled into the covers.

When he was about to leave her room, he heard her say: "Thanks for coming with me today."

...

It was finally his mate's first day at work and she came down the stairs an hour before her shift started dressed in a tight white tank top and denim shorts which made Dante's eyes bulge and Vergil to put down his cup of coffee. Whilst Vergil was repulsed by the display, his brother immediately began wolf whistling and thumping his hand over the desk in appreciation.

"Lookin' good, Luce!" Dante whooped, whilst Lucy blushed.

"Thanks." She said sheepishly.

"Huh, something feels different about you; I don't know what it is..."

"Well, I am wearing makeup." She said. _And they've asked me to wear a push-up bra or resort to chicken fillets_, she thought, but for good reasons, decided to omit that part. She reached for her jacket on the coat hanger and pulled it on, zipping it up to her chin. "Wish me luck. I'll be back at four am."

Dante glanced quickly at the old grandfather clock he had which stood beside his non-functioning jukebox. It was five in the evening. "Four am? And you start at six, right? Geez..."

She shrugged. "I'll be fine."

"Want us to come pick you up? It might not be safe."

"I'll be fine, but thanks." With that, Lucy grabbed her bag and she left the shop. Dante didn't need to say anything because suddenly Vergil had disappeared from his view and he knew he had gone after her. He smirked and noted Vergil's cup of untouched coffee.

Outside, Vergil arrived at the Bull's Eye Bar and watched Lucy enter the rear entrance of the bar before he went inside using the front door and took an empty seat at a booth, grabbing a newspaper from the stand in process. The bar had dull, dark decor – a mixture of mahogany and brown with lively music and dim lights. However, at least it had some form of style unlike the other bars he'd seen around the area, and the patrons were quiet and peaceful, respecting the staff and music. Still, it was fairly early into the evening. He wondered what would happen when it got late. He watched as Lucy emerged from the employee changing room and met up with her new co-workers and boss at the bar – a middle-aged, busty woman who looked just as sleazy as her waiting and bar staff.

"How do I look?" Lucy asked.

The boss nodded in approval as she gave Lucy a sweeping gaze, inhaling a deep drag from her cigarette. "Wait, something's missing."

"What?" She said, and the boss grabbed the rims of her tank top and ripped it slightly before ripping the front of her top to expose more cleavage. "Er..."

"There, now you're ready." The boss said, nodding to herself.

Vergil observed as his mate meticulously listened to instruction and served customers until a waitress came sashaying up to him, also dressed in the same manner as Lucy was – with her top ripped and tiny denim pants and breasts pushed into view. "Sir, you've been sitting there for quite a while. Would you like a drink?" She asked, with her notepad and a pen in hand.

"...Your menu, please." He asked, and she quickly grabbed a leather-bound menu from the station closest to his booth and handed it to him. Vergil accepted it with a murmur of thanks, opened it and scanned the contents. The choices were rather dismal. Settling the menu down, he said, "I'll have a glass of Sancerre."

"Excellent choice, sir." The waitress memorized his order and sashayed towards the bar.

He wondered where his mate was and saw her setting up a few tables away. Needless to say, he wasn't pleased to witness her working here, and dressed like_ that_ nonetheless. He figured it best if he not appear to her now or voice his disapproval about her choice of workplace until she finished her shift. Until then, he would stay and watch. Since she would be finishing at four am, he had hours. In order to keep himself occupied, he flipped open the paper until he felt another presence approaching and glanced up.

"What are you doing here?" It was Lucy, with his glass of Sancerre balancing on a black tray. She looked different with makeup on; it was a look he wasn't very familiar with or approved and he generally preferred if she kept the fakery to a minimum. Glancing at her from head to toe, she blushed as she settled the glass over the table and clutched the rounded tray to herself. "Don't look at me like that. I know I look ridiculous."

"You are exposed." He stated bluntly.

"I can't help it, it's the uniform...You do realize that ninety five percent of the customers here are men, right? Yourself included."

"I'm not here for the reasons those men are." He said with an acute frown, "Do not group me with the likes of them."

Lucy sulked slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

"Apology accepted."

"Are you going to stay for a while?"

"Until you finish, yes."

Her jaw dropped. "Vergil, you can't stay here for that long. They'll need the table."

"I do as I please."

"Just go back to the shop. I'll be fine, I promise." She said, but all he did was give her a look without saying anymore. Sighing in defeat, Lucy said, "Enjoy your Sancerre."

Vergil picked up his glass as Lucy sauntered away to serve more customers; the aroma of the wine was nice, which was surprising of this dismal human joint, and he tipped the glass to his lips, taking one sip. A delectable taste, but he drank no more. Settling the glass back on the table, he proceeded to indulge himself with the newspaper.

...

Lucy's shift did not last until four am.

The bar gradually grew less and less busier and the boss recalled her in, appearing to be satisfied with her work. Cash in hand was offered and Lucy was allowed home for an early night, although she was due to come in again tomorrow. As he watched his mate grin widely to herself and scamper into the employee area to get changed, he left the booth to wait for her at the entrance until the boss approached him.

She eyed him up and down and he glared at her coldly. Finally, she spoke: "Name's Daisy; I'm the owner of this joint. So how's it goin', lover-boy?" She drawled, with her cigarette in hand and he frowned, "I saw you the moment you came in. You've been watching her ever since. That's sweet of ya, but I got a business to run here, and I get that you care for her and you're worried for her, so I told her to finish a little early." Checking the clock on the wall, she said, "It's midnight, but hopefully there ain't too many crazies out there."

"And I am to be grateful for such a gesture?" Vergil said.

"Hah! What a mouth! She's such a sweet girl...how did she end up with a guy like you?"

He frowned again until Lucy came out of the employee area, fully dressed. "Vergil? You're still here?"

"See you tomorrow, Lucy." Daisy patted her on the shoulder and returned to the bar whilst Lucy looked at him in confusion.

"Let's go." He said coldly, storming out of the bar.

"Wait up." She trailed after him and into the chilly, dark night and joined his side, watching him keenly. Dante's shop was just a few more blocks away but at night the streets were quiet and empty and didn't feel particularly safe – a distance away and a group of men were lurking nearby, standing close to each other in a group.

Vergil suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Wait."

"What is it?"

"Demons."

"Where?"

Narrowing his eyes, Vergil focused on the group of men, who had now turned round, facing them. Although they were a distance away, Lucy could see they had red glowing eyes. "There." Without looking at her, he added, "Stay here."

Before she knew it, Vergil disappeared from her vision; he'd teleported – the group of 'men' a distance away immediately abandoned their human guises and in their places were horrendous sack-like creatures wielding all sorts of weapons from sickles to scythes. Vergil was suddenly in the foray, catching one demon off guard by appearing to its left. Before the demon could react, he'd unsheathed Yamato and sliced it in half. A demon came lunging at him, scythe high in the air – again, Vergil disappeared from vision, reappearing behind it. He slashed its back and the creature went hissing in pain; he returned his sword to its sheath, using summoned swords to fire a barrage of projectiles at a couple of demons charging at him, incapacitating them all in seconds.

When the fourth or fifth demon came swinging at him, Vergil stepped to the side and evaded the assault aimed at him, then used Yamato's scabbard to hit it squarely on the back before bisecting it from the waist. He didn't really want to sully his blade, but it seemed he had no choice. The next demon came charging at him next and he ducked with supreme reflex and swiped off its legs with a fluid slash of his sword. Another demon charged, screeching out; Vergil avoided all of the clumsy attacks with timed sidesteps and counterattacked by plunging his sword into the side of the demon's bobble head with unrivaled strength. The last demon had decided to attack him from behind; without turning round, Vergil rammed his sword backwards and into its gut. The demon went still, perishing on its spot.

Lucy watched in a mixture of trepidation and awe; she'd never really seen Vergil in action before. His movements were so swift and fluid, so effortless. As though these opponents were hardly worth his time, he even closed his eyes at one point. As she watched, she suddenly felt a presence behind her – whipping round, she saw one final demon ready to attack with its sickle and as her mouth opened in terror – Vergil abruptly appeared in front of her and the sickle slashed him all the way from the cheek, his shoulder and lodged itself deep into his chest.

"Vergil!" She exclaimed in horror, as he staggered slightly, having taken the entire brunt of the assault.

However, Vergil regained his composure and stood still, with blood dripping down his face, jaw and chin and the blade sticking out of his torso.

"Vergil...?"

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of silver and Lucy saw the demon's head flying; the demon dropped to the ground, dead in the blink of an eye. Vergil had severed the head completely. His eyebrows knitting tightly in displeasure, Vergil swung his sword and the blood flew off Yamato and all over the ground as the demon's body dropped and Lucy covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

He expertly sheathed his sword and it slid back into its hilt with a satisfying 'click'. Turning to her, his hair had fallen messily over his eyes and she stared up at his bloodstained face. "Are you unharmed?" He muttered quietly.

She gawped at him, then at the wound on his cheek, shoulder and chest. "Me? You're asking me if I'm _unharmed_? You need to go to a hospital!" She squawked and she clumsily reached into her bag, ransacking it for her phone as Vergil brushed a bloody hand to sweep his hair back. Finally, she found her phone and began dialing for the emergency services until Vergil put his hand on her wrist firmly and lowered her arm, "Vergil? What are you – "

"I am fine."

"But you're hurt - "

He gave her wrist a light squeeze. "I am fine."

She shook her head. "You don't look fine."

Then he pulled at his shirt slightly to reveal that his wound had already healed despite the blood all over his body. "I am a half-devil, so I heal fast. I'm fine."

Lucy stared at the healed wound on his chest and his shoulder and cheek before she slowly reached for him, hand shaking. She hesitated, then gently planted her hand on his wounded cheek. However, the moment she touched him, she also pulled away quickly. "Are you sure?"

He nodded.

"Don't tell me you're okay when you're not."

"Lucy. I am fine."

"...Okay. Should we go home?" She said, and when he nodded again, she nodded too and smiled lightly at him. "Let's go home."

...

Once they arrived at the shop, they unsurprisingly found the shopfloor in disarray and Dante was fast asleep in his room and could be heard snoring loudly and after Lucy went to take a shower and returned to her room, it was Vergil's turn. He'd had a long day and when he finished, his wounds had all healed so he exited the bathroom, went upstairs and saw Lucy in her room with his coat settled in her lap.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"Look." She said as soon as he entered, holding up his coat and the sleeve – the tear was now missing and his sleeve appeared to be back to normal. "I mended your sleeve for you. I noticed you had a tear in it earlier on."

"What." He said, before he glanced at a needle with light blue thread that was gingerly placed on the bedside table.

She added, "I knew those would come in handy someday." And Vergil raised a brow in response as she handed him his coat. He inspected the sewn-up sleeve; she'd done an amateur job but at least the sleeve was fixed. "What's it made out of by the way? It's so fine and silky."

"It is silk. The finest of all: Habotai. The creature that wove it is over ten thousand years old."

Her eyes widened slightly. "...How did it tear so easily?"

"The Naga's whip."

"I see." Lucy pointed to his black vest next. "I could fix that for you too, if you want." She gestured to the large gash in his vest where the demon had slashed him earlier on, and Vergil watched her for a long while until he slowly removed his sleeveless vest and handed it to her, leaving himself half-naked as he seated himself on the stool near her bed. "So, is this also made from a precious material too?"

"No, it's dragonscale."

"Right, sooooooo not precious." She said, rolling her eyes, "I probably can't mend this one in that case."

"Indeed, you won't be able to do much. I need to find an armorer, or a blacksmith – "

She looked up when he stopped. "...What?"

"Tubal-cain."

"Huh?"

Finally, he glanced up and their eyes met. "I will be leaving soon."

The room fell silent and she nodded. "Okay, I understand. How long will you be gone for?"

"I am unsure."

"Can I come with you? Oh, wait, I can't. I just found a job."

"I would not ask you to accompany me regardless. It will be dangerous."

Lucy nodded, climbed out of the bed and switched off the light and both were encompassed in darkness; then she returned to the bed and pulled the blanket over herself. She wondered how Vergil could just sleep on a chair but he didn't seem to be mindful of it. In the darkness, she could make out his silhouette crossing his arms. "Be careful. I'll wait for you, so you better come back in one piece, and don't bring back any nasty surprises, like another Circe-in-a-box. We got lucky last time."

He turned to her and although it was dark, she could feel his gaze on her.

"Goodnight, Vergil." She added, and she delved under the covers. The room fell silent until -

"Goodnight, Lucy."

* * *

**More A/N**

Er...the job process here is a bit more old fashioned than nowadays. Now everything's all online and its about sending resumes, although depending on the job, it can take days/weeks until you hear back from a place or you might not even hear back at all. Also, Dante and Lucy weren't rowdy enough when drunk lol. Furthermore, a random thought occurred to me after I wrote about Vergil's torn sleeve. Here it's made out of a kind of silk spun by an ancient creature, a silk so strong that it withstands most demon attacks etc.

PS Sancerre is a type of white wine. Vergil is such a posh totty in this story.

PSS. The song Lucy sang was Tobuscus' Nugget in a Biscuit lol.


	21. Chapter 21

_"I__f you meet a loner,_

_no matter what they tell you,_

_it's not because they enjoy solitude._

_It's because they have tried to blend into the world before,_

_and people continue to disappoint them."_

_..._

_..._

A week had passed.

The door to her room opened and Dante stepped inside. They'd gotten the door fixed a couple of days ago, which Lucy was grateful for but Dante would keep barging into her room without knocking regardless so it didn't seem to make a difference if her room was door-less or not. "Hey Luce." He greeted, as she sat on her bed with her bag open beside her. "Everything okay? We're waiting for ya downstairs."

"Yeah, I'm fine." She was holding something in her hands which he noticed. It appeared to be a photograph.

"What's that?"

"Oh? This?" She threw her glance down to the glossy print. "It's a photograph of my mom. Today's uh...today's the day she passed away."

He rubbed his chin; it reminded him of himself as he had a photo of Eva propped up on his desk. He sat beside her on the bed and patted her gently on the back, "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "It was a long time ago."

"What about your dad?" He said; he realized he'd never really asked her about her family or past before, and Lucy's expression darkened slightly once he asked the question.

"I don't have a father." She said curtly, that he believed she was not entirely telling the truth. "Let's go downstairs."

Nodding, he left her room and she trailed after him, although he threw her quick and concerned glances over his shoulder every now and then. Finally, they arrived downstairs where Vergil was sitting at the rounded dining table underneath the rotating ceiling fan, waiting for them. Dante and Lucy took their respective seats. "Alright, Lucy, you go first."

Fumbling in her pockets and purse, she took out two hundred dollars and a couple of cents and emptied them over the table surface. "Sorry, that's all I have. It's not much because I earn minimum wage. Tips included."

"S'okay, it's better than nothing. Now it's my turn." Dante said, rubbing his gloved hands together. His previous job which Morrison found for him had awarded him with five hundred dollars and twenty cents which he placed over the table. "Verge?"

Vergil, who'd had his arms crossed as he sat in his seat, slowly uncrossed his arms, delved one hand into his pocket and took out a thousand dollars.

"What the hell!" Dante yelled, jumping up in his chair at the amount he'd revealed. "How'd you get so much?!"

Vergil flashed him a cold glare. "If the missing painting was returned to the owner in its original condition then the reward would be tripled. Those were the terms and conditions."

"Hmph." Dante grunted as he slumped over his seat with a distinct frown. "I knew I shoulda taken that job instead."

"Yet you sneered upon it and deemed it 'boring'."

"Next time I'll know: it's always the boring ones that land you the most money." Dante remarked, "Never mind. Right, let's pool together all the money we have. Okay, so we have...Vergil's thousand...Lucy has two...I've got five hundred...uhhhhh..."

"You seem stuck, brother. Shall I offer my assistance?" Vergil suggested, as Dante counted the bills only to count them a second and third time before scratching his head.

"Uh, yeah...maybe you should double check for me, bro."

Vergil collected the money together and counted silently. Lucy and Dante watched Vergil as he separated the bills onto the table and divided the cents. When he was finished, he said, "We have a total of one thousand seven hundred and twenty two. Seven hundred and seventy three will be used to pay for this month's rent. Five hundred will be used to pay for this month's water and electricity bills. To cut down on expenses I've spoken to the authorities and there will be no central heating as of tomorrow since neither of us truly stay here long enough during the day to warrant the use of it. The remainder of the money will be divided amongst ourselves evenly, roughly one hundred and fifty each."

"What! We had one thousand seven hundred and twenty two between all of us and we're down to one fifty each?!" The younger twin exclaimed.

"Yes. That will be enough for the week, and if your new agent Morrison finds us more work, then that one hundred and fifty will be enough for you to live on, although I do recommend you lay off the pizza and beer, dear brother. They're your personal luxuries and not the basics."

"No way!" Dante barked, as Vergil handed them their even share. Lucy pocketed the money carefully whilst Dante looked at his share with a frown. "...Is this really all we have between us? For the week?"

"Yes. Spend it wisely."

"I hate this." Dante grunted as he reached for his cash – until a hand snatched it away and he was left blinking numbly. "Hey, what the – "

He glanced up to see Lady standing behind the couch, counting the cash. "Good, this is how much you owe me **_two _**months ago." She slipped it into her pockets and abruptly Dante stood up.

"Hey! What the – where...How the_ hell _did you get in here?"

"The front door, moron!"

He threw his gaze to the door in a huff. "I locked the door!"

Immediately there was a hubbub:

"You never lock the door!"

"You do not."

"Dante, I've never seen you lock the door before."

Lady, Vergil and Lucy had all spoken in unison. The red twin blinked in bewilderment, then - "No fair, you're all ganging up on me."

"Shut up; what are you, a high school girl?" Lady snapped.

"You got balls saying that to me considering you're - "

"Ooh, don't you start with me about the way how I dress!"

"Who invited you here anyway?!"

"I invited myself, jackass!"

Immediately, they began arguing and Vergil and Lucy were left to watch them tiredly. Vergil and Lucy then averted their gazes to each other and no words were exchanged, but both rose out of their seats and went to the door. Vergil opened the door for her, she thanked him, and they left the shop together, leaving Dante and Lady to bicker and scream at each other.

They stood at the entrance of the shop in silence until Lucy glanced up at the older twin. "Do you have anywhere in particular you want to go?"

"No."

"Well...I've got somewhere to go. Do you want to come with me?" She said, and he nodded, much to her surprise. "Okay, then let's get going."

...

She'd gone to the local market where every kinds of carboot seller known to man were belting out all their goods for the world to hear. Vergil disliked the noise and the rowdiness and it seemed easy to get lost or split up so he kept a close eye on his mate as they weaved through the busy and large groups of customers who were determined to find good deals. They'd passed countless of stalls, selling a variety of useless items from handmade scarves and hats to foul-smelling cheese. Eventually, Lucy passed a stand selling glass figurines and one glass figure on display caught her eye.

It was a beautiful glass ballerina; it was relatively small, no bigger than her hand. The figurine was in an Arabesque pose, with her arms out and one leg down whilst the other was raised behind the body in the air. It was glittering and sparkling beautifully under the afternoon daylight, a collage of red, blue, green and yellow.

_It's so pretty_, she thought to herself. She saw the price tag however, and quickly moved away from the stand and glanced around to see Vergil staring at a stand selling sorts of leather goods. Following the direction of his gaze, it landed on a pair of leather gloves. She briefly recalled what Dante said to her some time ago: _"__He tends to look at things he likes for a long time."_

Waiting a few long moments, she noticed his gaze hadn't shifted.

_Ding ding ding! We have a winner!_ Lucy sauntered over and joined his side with a grin. "Heeeey, whatcha lookin' at?" She said. Immediately, he swerved his gaze away from the display, to her. "Oh? What's this? Oh my gosh. What a lovely pair of gloves..."

"What are you doing." He said, frowning.

"Hey mister!" She called, attracting the attention of the stall owner.

"Hey there, lovely lady, you like the look of them gloves?" greeted the proprietor; it was a middle-aged man dressed in a brown jumpsuit and cowboy hat. His entire ensemble made him appear like he'd come out from a Western. He even spoke the part too, with his lazy drawl. "They's made from calf leather. Feel how silky soft and smooth they are! Won't scratch, rip or tear no matter what you do! They're handmade out of the finest leather in the world!"

Vergil snorted in disagreement, yet Lucy picked up the pair of dark brown fingerless gloves up and turned to him. "Can we try them on?" She asked the owner.

"Sure."

Turning to Vergil: "Here, try these on."

"I don't need them." He quipped.

"But yours are ripped and old. And they're not made out from some mystical material, right?"

He slid his gaze to his palms; his gloves were frayed and torn but he'd had them for a long time, even when he was in hell, so some wear and tear was not a surprise. "Lucy. I don't need them."

"Try them on anyway." Lucy seemed adamant in him trying them on, so he slipped off his old gloves and she fitted them over his hands. They slid over his fingers and palms with much ease and he liked the feel of it at once. If he held Yamato with these he figured it'd be a little more comfortable. With that, he made a satisfied noise of "_hm_" and she beamed. "That's a good sign." Turning to the owner, she said, "How much are they?"

"Seventy five."

"Seventy five?!"

"Well... since I like ya, little lady, and I'm in a generous mood today... I'll whittle it down to sixty."

"Aww man, that's too bad. I mean, I only got fifty! Would you settle for fifty?"

The man seemed conflicted. "...Sheesh, you're really pushing it now." He grumbled, but when Lucy pouted, he said, "Alright, fifty it is."

"Thanks! He'll keep them on." She handed him fifty bucks.

"Great, let me give ya the box." said the owner, and as Lucy smiled widely to herself, Vergil scowled at her.

"What are you doing?" He barked, as the booth owner handed her a dark brown box tied with black ribbon which she then slipped into her bag, "You used your money and now you only have one hundred left."

She left the stand and Vergil followed after her, "Yeeeah, like as if I didn't know that and had to be reminded."

"Why?"

"You're really asking me 'why'? Why do you have to be so suspicious about everything?"

"You're attempting to seduce me again."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Fine, you got me! Maybe this useless little human before you is trying to seduce you with useless little human gestures. What are you going to do about it?" With that, she continued down her path until he walked up to her and took her by the arm; he was gentle but he dragged her to a quiet alleyway where there were no customers and no carboot sellers and no-one would disturb them. He backed her against the brick wall again, caging her with his body. "W-what?" She stammered slightly, trying to put on a brave face as he loomed over her.

"I did not ask you to buy me a gift."

"I felt like it."

"Then I don't want them. I didn't want them."

She frowned deeply as he began to slip them off. "Vergil, just keep them, please? I don't want to go back and – "

"Then why did you buy these?"

"Seriously? You're going to _interrogate_ me about this?"

"Yes, I am."

"Oh god! You just don't get it, do you? You know what? Just when I thought we were actually beginning to get along a little better than usual, this has to happen, and I'm so damn tired of it!" She exclaimed angrily, before she grabbed his hand, attempting to ease the glove off. "Fine, if you don't want them then take them off so I can get my goddamn fifty bucks back!"

Glaring at her from the bottom of his eyes, he said, "You are a maddening woman. Infuriatingly so. I often wonder the kind of upbringing you had; Dante and I barely had any nurturing yet you demonstrate the utmost – "

He was interrupted when she suddenly let go of him.

"Alright." She muttered, "Alright... fine. _Fine_. Sometimes you do nice things, like when you came with me when I was job-hunting and when you got me the cure - and it makes me think twice about your character, like...maybe you're not as bad as everyone says you are and that you're just bad at expressing yourself, so then I thought I should do something nice for you too, but then you have to ruin everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, especially when you say these kinds of things. And frankly, I don't know what to think anymore and I'm so sick and tired. I'm done. I've had enough of...of whatever this is. I'm done."

With that, she took a few steps away from him, stuffed her hands into her pockets and pulled the hood of her top over her head and he watched her storm away.

He made no move to follow her.

...

Lucy returned to the shop after visiting her mother's grave; the chances of Vergil being at the shop were very high but earnestly there was nowhere else she wanted to go. To her surprise, she opened the doors to see an empty shop.

"Dante, are you home?" She said, removing her jacket to hang it up on the coatstand.

"Upstairs, babe."

She wandered up the stairs and went to see the younger twin in his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, half-naked as usual. Poking her head through his doorway, she stepped inside his messy room. He was holding Ebony and Ivory and there was a bottle of Jack Daniels beside him. "Heya Dante. Where's Lady?"

He shrugged his broad, muscular shoulders casually. "Eh. She took my money and then she took off. Where's Vergil? Wasn't he with you?"

She shook her head. "No. We had a fight. I stormed off...I don't know where he is."

"Alrighty. Siddown and tell me all about it." He drawled as he patted a space on the bed and she sat down beside him. "Where'd you guys go anyway?"

"To the market; I got you something." She took out a red box and handed it to him.

"Aww, you didn't have to get me anything." Dante said as he pinched her on the cheek, and after he let her go and he opened it, it revealed a small silver hip flask. "Sweet!"

"Yeah, now you can use it to drink booze whenever and wherever you want."

"Neat! Thanks, Luce! So, what did you two argue about? He's actually become pretty tame since he met you. Looks like he even marked you too."

"I got him a new pair of gloves because his old ones were all worn out and he got suspicious. He keeps thinking I'm trying to seduce him; he thinks I have ulterior motives. So we got into a fight and then he mentioned upbringing and I thought about my parents and got really angry."

Dante snorted with laughter, slapping his knee and doubling over.

"Don't laugh. It wasn't funny."

"Nah, Vergil's just not used to chicks, that's all. Even when we were kids he didn't know what to do or how to react when girls kept coming up to us. He ended up being really mean and they all turned against him and hated him. It was hilarious." He said, still chuckling.

"Now that you mention it...what were you like when you were kids?"

"Hmmmm..." Dante thought long and hard, then said, "I was really loud and Vergil was really quiet. He didn't like to share. He was also really protective and possessive. He also liked to read a lot too. He was such a nerd."

"Why don't you tell me something I don't know?"

Dante reached for her and with his hand, squeezed her cheeks together. "Hey, hey, what's this? Looks like Vergil's bad manners are rubbing off on ya." When he let go of her, he added, "Alright, I'll tell you something you don't know: he wore glasses and had braces."

There was a silence.

"...You're kidding, right?" Lucy said, in a deadpan manner.

"Yeah, I'm kidding."

"Geez, Dante." She said, as he started sniggering.

"Hah! Look at your face! You fell for that."

Her face reddened in response.

"What were you like when you were younger? I bet you were popular."

"Er...quite the opposite."

"But you've had a couple of boyfriends, right?"

"It was nothing serious. It just never felt right."

"Yeah! 'Cos you never met Vergil, that's why. He was trapped in Hell! What you and Vergil have is probably the real deal. Damn, he's gonna get so jealous when he finds out he's not your first."

"What! D-don't tell him that!" She paled, "Am I..._Would_ I be his first?"

Dante grinned slyly at her. "What do you think?"

She began to sweat. "U-uh...I...I really don't know."

"S'okay, I won't tell him anything." He replied, "Luce, I need to ask you though; you like my bro, right?"

At the sudden question, she blushed. "Um...w-w-well..."

He let out a bark of laughter, "It's alright! I'm just messin' with ya."

"No, wait, Dante. I...I do. I do like Vergil."

He observed for a long time; Dante knew her words were true, "...So what was with the upbringing remark he made?"

"It's a long story. I don't like talking about it. My mom died when I was really young, so I guess I don't have any upbringing. I'm still not over it, even after those years."

Dante sighed loudly and patted her on the head. "Well, it was bad timing for him to say something like that...and kinda fickle I guess, since hey, we're like two sides of the same coin! Me and Verge don't have a mom and dad too... So you should probably tell him what you told me – y'know, about your mom – 'cos I'm sure he didn't mean it. But I'm sorry about Verge and I'm sorry that he made you upset. You know what he's like. He says mean stuff but he's really a big softie."

She nodded again, a little weakly. "I was just so mad, I snapped. I said some horrible things too. Do you think he'll get so angry that he'll leave for good?"

"Nah, it's been a week and Vergil is still here."

"Yeah..."

"And he even took on a few jobs since I was too busy."

"Yeah."

"Get what I'm tryin' to say?" He said, and she shook her head. "Well, if this keeps up, we'll be managing the shop together."

"That sounds alright."

"Damn right it does." Dante said with a grin. "I'm really glad he's here. You probably don't get it, future sister-in-law, but that's okay, cos it's uh...for me, it's been too long. And I er...I didn't think this would happen, and we're not fighting, so this is good. Really good. And I hope it stays this way. Get my drift?"

Lucy nodded. "Oh yeah, I get your drift." Then she blushed when she realized he'd called her 'sister-in-law'.

_Creeeak._

Downstairs, they heard the doors opening and both Dante and Lucy glanced at each other then left the room, glancing over the banister to see Vergil at the doors, having returned to the shop. "Vergie!" Dante exclaimed, "You're home!"

"Yes." Vergil affirmed coldly, before his gaze wandered to Lucy. She appeared uncomfortable under his gaze and left the banister abruptly, disappearing into her room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Dante threw his gaze to the door and back to Vergil. Whistling jovially, he grabbed his coat and yelled loudly, "Luce, I'm heading out for a while!"

"Where are you going?" came her muffled reply.

"To the strip club! Oh yeah!" Dante left the shop, strolling past Vergil on the way out and he gave him a wide grin. "See ya, bro. I'd ask ya to come - "

"No, thank you." came Vergil's immediate reply.

"Yeeeah, I'll leave you alone to look after Lucy. You two can spend some quality time together."

Dante left and the shop fell silent; Vergil calmly and slowly made his way up the stairs, crossed the hall and stopped at her door. He knocked twice and waited. A few moments later and she opened it to a small fraction. They stared at each other for a while until he said, "This is for you."

She glanced at a box he pulled out from the innards of his coat; it was pink and small and tied with a beautiful white ribbon and bow. She accepted it wordlessly and watched as he turned and left, to go downstairs or maybe to leave the shop entirely. Lucy hastily unwrapped the bow and ribbon carefully and lifted the lid to see a familiar glass ballerina inside.

She blinked wide-eyed at the gift in shock and confusion and then quickly settled it on her bedside table, leaving her room. She chased after him. "Wait, Vergil. Don't go." She said; he stopped in his tracks and as he turned, she wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened at once, unused to the contact, and Lucy looked up at him. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier on, I..." She took a deep breath, and mumbled, "Today's the day my mom died."

He watched her silently.

"...That's why I got so angry when you said those things to me. Anyway, I'm really sorry for yelling at you." There was a slight silence following her remark. She was waiting for him to make a comment, perhaps he would call her a weak, useless human as he usually did, however -

"It was boorish of me." He said, after a while, "I apologize."

His apology made her eyes grow a little wide. "It's fine." She quickly let go of him. "Oh, sorry...I know you don't like being touched...Thanks for the gift." She smiled at him awkwardly when she realized he must've noticed her looking at it earlier on, then saw that he was wearing the leather gloves she got for him earlier on. "Oh, the gloves..."

"I am keeping them." He murmured. His voice was husky and low, sending shivers down her spine.

"Okay. That's good."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." She said, before she took his hands and lifted them up for a closer look. "They look good on - "

Lucy stopped when Vergil suddenly slipped his hands out of hers, placed them on the sides of her face and then his face was coming closer to hers. She went wide-eyed, until he leaned closer and closer and she felt the most briefest and feathery touch on her forehead and when it was gone, she looked up at him again, in shock. He was still looking at her and she swallowed down the sudden lump in her throat, blinking numbly.

She was enraptured by his gaze; he stared at her with such an intensity she was unfamiliar with, it frightened and excited her at the same time. Her gaze unconsciously wandered to his lips, and when it dawned to her that she was inwardly hoping there would be more than a fleeting kiss on her forehead, she realized her perception of Vergil really had changed.

They stood in the hallway in silence; it didn't seem Vergil was intent of letting go of her but he wasn't doing anything else. She didn't know what he was doing. He just stared at her. Her heart hammered loudly at their close proximity and his unrelenting, steely gaze on her.

_Do something_, she thought, swallowing down, _I should do something, r-right? Maybe I should tell him to let go. _She said, "Vergil - "

And then his lips descended upon hers; her eyes widened in bewilderment but she did not find herself resisting. Instead, she melted into his kiss and her eyelids fluttered to a close. Just like the last time he'd taken her by surprise and kissed her, he was ardent but tender, lifting her face to his before he tilted his head slightly, angling their mouths to deepen the kiss. When her back hit the wall, she realized he'd cornered her again and her hands fumbled, landing on his shoulders where she could feel the broad, sturdy muscles. Finally, she placed her hands on his face, cupping his jaw. His skin was cold but smooth to touch.

When they pulled apart, she almost cried at the separation as they looked at each other, panting breathlessly. His hair was messy and his gaze was still fixated onto her solely, his eyes burning with possessiveness which she'd seen before, namely when they were at Hag's shack. Her lips were becoming cold without him and she wound her hand around the back of his neck and she pulled him forwards urgently, their lips meeting again. To her surprise, he hadn't pushed her away or downright refused as she had expected him to. He was _responding_. Despite what Dante had said to her earlier on, he kissed her with so much passion and warmth.

A moan escaped the back of her throat, her body on fire. Vergil was gripping her waist tightly now, although he didn't touch her anywhere else even though she inwardly wanted him to. She ran her hands through his hair, her fingers raking through silky white strands as their lips met again and again. When his lips left hers once more, she let out a sad whimper at the absence of his mouth over hers as he began trailing kisses over the side of her face and down her neck. He stopped at the mark he'd bestowed her; with his mouth against the column of her throat, he kissed her marred skin before he pulled away and pressed himself against her nape, breathing heavily with his eyes closed.

He could hear her attempting to catch her breath, her heart thundering uncontrollably; then her arms slid around his neck, and she was pressing her lips against the side of his face affectionately. He caught whiff of her scent, which was now a thousand times more appealing than it had ever been before. He wanted to do more than to kiss her, he wanted to caress her, to feel her and to feel how good she would be if he was inside her –

Vergil lifted himself off her and looked up; they stared at each other for a long time with his hand beginning to slowly retreat from her waist, and she said, "Vergil?"

He did not respond, although his gaze was still on her.

"Vergil." She tried again, before she raised her hand and slowly brushed some hair from his face. "...Are you okay?"

Lucy heard him swallow slightly, his throat convulsing but he never looked away. "...I - " He paused, "I apologize, that was – "

She waited for him to finish, but Vergil seemed to be struggling with himself. She said, "No, it's okay...I-I wanted this too."

"This is..." He said; his voice was low, almost a whisper.

"...What?"

And then his lips drew back, his eyebrows knitted tightly in displeasure and he hissed out, "Weakness."

"...You think this is...weakness? It's not weakness." She muttered. She seemed disappointed.

"I am a half-devil, a Son of Sparda." He murmured; his voice was barely above a whisper, "I escaped from hell, and now I must find a way to defeat Mundus. You do not understand."

Lucy nodded. Her voice had lowered to match his and she said, "I know. I-I'll...I'll let you go." And her arms slowly slid from his neck and at the same time, he let go of her waist. There was a silence as they stood awkwardly around each other. "I'm going to go back to my room. See ya."

She sidestepped away from Vergil and sauntered towards the direction of her room. The internal conflict she was feeling at the precise moment was rather overwhelming and once she entered her room, she closed the door behind her and slumped against it, emitting a gentle sigh. Of course. What was she expecting? Everything seemed right up in the air right now. She remembered what she said to him once, that she preferred Dante over him, wanted him to be her mate, not Vergil...and that she'd rather let the earth's population die out than mate with him. It was these kinds of situations where she really wanted to take her words back, no matter how angry she was back then. With those thoughts in mind, she pushed herself off the door, shuffled towards the bed and glanced around her room.

There wasn't much to do...

She remembered she'd left a book downstairs in the lounge... maybe she could go and get it... Lucy went to the door and opened it - and there stood Vergil at her doorway before her. "Vergil!" She exclaimed, "You gave me a fright! Wh-what is it?"

"May I come in?" He said quietly.

"...Sure." She muttered, holding the door open for him, he went inside and closed the door behind him silently. "...Is there something you want?"

And Vergil replied, "Yes, there is. I wish to finish what we started."

* * *

**A/N**

Yikes, so I'm kinda worried about this chapter. Was the kiss way too soon? And dayuum my chapters are definitely getting longer. Also I noticed I'd never written anything about Lucy's background so decided to squish some things into this chapter. There is a lot more to her, of course, but I haven't found the perfect moment or much opportunity to write about her background. I've found that this has been happening quite a lot to my stories these days – ie, the OC is not really the focal point of the story but rather it is the main male lead, in here it is obviously Vergil. In my other fic for eg, Heroes, it was Raiden.

I have one final question for you all: Shall I incorporate lemon(s) or would you just rather everything is kept to a T?


	22. Chapter 22

Right, so I asked you all if there should be lemons in this story. So out of all the responses, 100% of you all agreed for lemons. I didn't say when it would happen and originally I planned for a lemon much, much later in the future, but with the previous chapter and the way how it ended pretty much damn near pointed to lemons happenin' like flashing neon signs so there is a lemon in this chapter. For those who are uncomfortable, you will unfortunately need to skip to the next page break. Plus, my story has now shot to an M rating now.

If you have read my other stories, you will know that I write quite a lot of lemons (and I also write sad stories with bad endings...). Compared to my other fics, I've really tried to tone this one down since its Vergil and he is so posh in this story so hopefully its not too dirty. Either way, thanks to everyone who reviewed. I have taken everyone's opinion into account so perhaps Vergil and Lucy will go on a date in the future, perhaps they will have more conversations that are deep and meaningful etc etc.

And thanks to Ultimolu for reviewing so many chapters. I was so shocked when I saw my inbox going nuts with the review alerts lol.

So yeah: **WARNING - M for lemon.**

* * *

_"Love looks not with the eyes,_

_but with the mind,_

_and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."_

_..._

_..._

Lucy stared at him, eyes bulging. "You want to what?"

"You heard me: I wish to finish what we started."

Vergil had gone into her room after the kiss and settled Yamato on the chair. Lucy wasn't sure if she had heard right. She watched him for any signs of conflict or hesitation in his eyes but this time, his resolution seemed firm. She held in a breath as the room fell silent. So what did this mean? Should they start kissing now? Or would it end up a step further? She tried not to think of the bed behind her.

In response to her increasing anxiety, Vergil approached her and as Lucy automatically took a step back, he said, "Interesting."

"What?"

"You desire me, but you are also afraid."

She blinked numbly. "W-who said I was afraid?"

"You're stuttering." He pointed out, and she turned away.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You reek of fear."

She shook her head.

"And now you refuse to look at me. You are frightened."

She scoffed. "I looked at you a while ago and I'll look at you now." She looked up and their eyes met; in fact, she realized Vergil hadn't looked away from her since. It was difficult and she couldn't help but turn away this time. His gaze was so powerful on her, so raw and _intense_.

He said, "You seem to be struggling. You told me you wanted this and now you don't seem to possess that intention any longer."

"Stop analyzing everything! You're ruining things again – " Lucy was interrupted when Vergil placed his hands on the sides of her face, forcing her to look at him. Once more, their eyes met and this time she had no choice but to look. She swallowed down and bit her lip. Vergil was observing her every feature, his gaze lingering on her eyes, her mouth... She followed his gaze before he began leaning closer and closer and she was unable to move. He closed the gap between them and she felt his soft lips over her own; she closed her eyes, brows scrunching in confusion since this time, it felt different. When he pulled away, his lips inches from hers, she murmured, "You're so unpredictable. I can never tell what you're thinking..."

She thought she saw him smirk but then his expression returned to the cold, aloof exterior he always had. "For as long as I can remember, my brother and I have always been highly desired by women...whether they be mortal or demon. The reasons were usually unclear, but our appearance and Sparda being our father and his power stirring deep in our veins were one of the main, common motives."

"So that's why you're always suspicious." She mumbled as she closed her eyes and tried to look down but he prevented her from doing so; Lucy began shaking in his grip somewhat, her knees trembling and when he leaned into her again, she gingerly placed her hands on his shoulders and once their lips met for another time, he kissed her deeper and rougher and his hands moved from her face and slid down to her waist, drawing their bodies close tightly. She couldn't help but moan slightly when they pulled away for breath. Noticing his hooded eyes, she murmured, "Am I like any woman you've come across?"

His response was quick. "No."

"No?"

He gave a minor shake of the head, tilting his face to capture her mouth with his again. "No. You are a curious creature, unlike any woman I have met. You are maddening and infuriating. You raise your voice at me. You have insulted me on several occasions. You haven't demonstrated any interest in demons or power, or the power that would come should we mate and conceive a child together. Even when I appeared to you, I was haggard and at my most weakest and vulnerable. Most women would have dropped at my feet, willing to go to any length to please me, even if it involved degrading themselves. But not you."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Most of them were whores. Whilst Dante was happy to receive them and to have their company, I was the opposite."

"Don't speak so lowly of your brother."

He sneered. "But it is the truth."

"Should I?"

"What?"

"Show interest in demons and power?"

"No. I would prefer it if you didn't." He gently laid the back of his palm on her cheek before he moved to brush some hair from her face. "You are pure."

"Vergil, if we continue this...in your eyes, would I...would I still be...pure?"

"Of course. As long as no other male – human or demon - touches you, except from me."

She inhaled a breath and as he continued stroking her hair, she muttered, "I would never let anyone else touch me."

"Then you are loyal to me only?" He murmured as he stared into her eyes. However, without waiting for her answer, he seemed to be pressing himself against her firmly now, his legs brushing against hers that she had to inch backwards. Her knees finally hit against something soft – her bed – and before she knew it, she was on the lying on the bed with Vergil above her. She blinked wide-eyed at the arrangement and both stared at each other. With labored breathing, Vergil threw his glance at himself before he returned his gaze to Lucy.

The room fell silent, with neither one daring to move until Lucy slowly and carefully put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him off her. Vergil rose and sat up, with Lucy settling on his lap, straddling him. Again, their gazes met and her breathing stilled as she slowly lifted a hand and gingerly placed it on his face. He was watching her tentatively now, watching every moment she was making with painstakingly silence. She traced his jaw, then his sharp chin and his cheeks, before finally sweeping her hand through his silky hair. He had such fine features... She had never seen such a handsome man before in her life...

Vergil reached for her but she pulled away out of from his grasp, causing him to growl slightly and he slid his arms around her waist, pushing her against him and forcing a quiet gasp to escape her lips. She closed her eyes when she felt his breath over her cheeks, and she pressed her forehead against his. His hands lingered at her sides, as though not wanting to adventure any further whilst she slipped her hands from his face to his shoulders, his arms, and finally underneath his coat where she began to push it off his shoulders. Releasing his hold on her, he took the bottom of her shirt in his hands and slowly eased it up over her head and along with his coat, placed it beside them on the bed.

Her shirt was off; it was rather cold in the room now. Her breathing grew heavier and she had never felt as exposed as she did now. As Vergil removed the rest of her garments, she was now bare in front of him and she hastened her pace, taking hold of his sleeveless vest and unclipping it and pushing it down his shoulders. Unconsciously, she wetted her lips once his muscular, broad chest was in view. He had the scars that she had seen before – the ones that looked like they had not healed – and she ran her fingertip over his healed wounds.

"Lucy." He said, and she looked up at him expectantly.

Taking her hand off his chest, he returned to grasp her by the waist and he pulled her gently into him, taking her mouth with his. She moaned lightly, wrapping her arms around his neck. They kissed passionately and soon, they began to rock together, a movement unfamiliar to them both but making their bodies grow hotter. Their kiss soon became deeper, longer. A little sloppier but growing more desperate. Vergil was holding her tightly now, that it was beginning to hurt. She didn't care though, not at this moment. Their hips grinding, she could feel his blatant arousal and she wanted more than this. Panting now, she pulled away for breath and he trailed kisses over her cheek and jaw, down her neck and her shoulders and finally to her breasts, taking her nipples into his mouth.

"Vergil..." She moaned his name piteously, clutching him to her bosom as he kissed and marked her skin. "What are we...should we – " She stopped when his hands slid from her waist to her legs, grabbing handfuls of her skirt and hitching the flimsy material further up her waist. As her breaths grew even shallower, he took her panties and slowly pulled them down; she rose onto her knees in order to allow him and her panties were at her ankles. They were soaked right through the material. Once she stepped out of them, her glance landed on his pants. Returning to look at Vergil, he looked at her in response. No words were exchanged, and he began to unfasten his belt and pants in silence.

Freed from the rest of his clothes, Vergil reached for her and he settled her back onto his lap, easing her towards his aching shaft which was in dire need to be satiated. In anticipation and nervousness, she held onto him tightly, squeezing her eyes shut as he pushed his tip into her and she lowered herself onto him as much as she could with his hands guiding her. It took a while until she was able to finally accept all of him and once he slid inside her all the way to the hilt, Lucy gasped and opened her eyes as he stretched and filled her completely. She tried to adjust herself to his size and length; there was a brief moment where no-one moved, until he began to thrust. Lucy gasped again - it hurt and she was glad he was settling for the slow pace. Holding her in place, Vergil closed his eyes and grunted as he rolled his hips against hers, thrusting gently.

She was panting again, squeezing her eyes shut, although the more he thrust into her the more it was becoming pleasurable, forcing her to emit a moan and to press her face against his neck whilst he sank his fingers into her flesh. He can feel her rapid heartbeat as he filled her completely with him, her hot but tight, silky walls squeezing around him with each agonizing stroke. His tip hit her in the same spot again and again and she found his movements maddening and torturous. Fisting his hair, she rode him as sensually as she could, rolling her hips to match the rhythm of his thrusts.

He was silent the entire time; she didn't know if this was what he wanted or if he was pleased with her, but his breathing was becoming labored and he held her tightly to him, his strong hands caressing almost every inch of her body. Then he leaned forwards and took hold of her chin, bringing her face to his; when they locked eyes, he captured her mouth hungrily and at the same time, he increased his pace. She took his hungry kisses with no protest as he rocked himself into her faster and stronger, taking one breast in his hand and squeezing it firmly. Her body shivered under his touch as he fondled her, inhaling a ragged breath.

A sharper thrust caused her to break off the kiss to cry out. Vergil's lips claimed the column of her throat, biting down on the flesh of the other side of her neck where he hadn't marked her yet. She couldn't help but writhe in pleasure at the heightened pace and he lowered his hand from his breast, slipping under her leg and pushing her further up his waist, angling her hips a little better so to thrust into her even more. Lucy cried out at the intensity of the pleasure the new angle was creating, clenching and squeezing him so tightly.

His thrusts became rougher, deeper, pushing her to the brink of ecstasy. She raked her nails all over his back and threw her head back, moaning loudly. After a few more intense thrusts, he came inside her; the building sensation in the pit of her own lower body grew and grew, the torture he'd been submitted her to finally came undone and her own release came.

The room was silent except for their heavy breathing. They were still joined and covered in sweat. Lucy tried to untangle herself from his arms but to her surprise, he wasn't letting go. Finally, after a long moment, Vergil opened his eyes and turned to her.

She sat up properly in his lap then, cupping his face in her hands, brushing his hair back and away from his eyes. "Vergil?"

"Mm." He sounded a little tired. "Did I hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Good."

"...What are we doing?"

"We mated."

A worrying thought crossed her mind. "Was this... for power?"

He emitted a sigh. "If I told you this was not for power, would you believe me?"

Lucy's breath caught in her throat, then she nodded vigorously. "...Do you think something will happen though?"

"Such as?"

"I don't know." From how aloof his response was, she came to the belief that he didn't think mating would've helped him achieve power after all...

He said, "Nevertheless, you belong to me now. You're my woman."

And Lucy blushed in response.

"Give me your word that you will stop working at that dismal establishment."

"You mean the bar? But I've only been there a week."

"I won't tolerate it. Find somewhere else to work." He snapped. When she went silent, he tightened his grip on her, giving her a squeeze, and he added, "I won't have other men looking at you, especially when you are indecently dressed. Give me your word. Now."

She nodded again. "Okay. I promise. I'll find a job somewhere else."

"Good girl." His hands slid away from her waist slowly; she took this as an indicator to climb off him and he slipped out of her. Feeling cold and empty, and as though aware of their nakedness now, she cringed, grabbed the duvet and wrapped it around herself as Vergil rose to stand, grabbing his clothes and redressing himself silently. He picked up Yamato and turned to her, to see her reaching for her clothes and panties. She reeked entirely of sex and his claim over her. Oddly enough, the fact instilled a strange sense of pride within him. However, glancing at the ruined sheets and the state of her clothes, he muttered, "You should wash."

Lucy shook her head. "I don't want to. I'm gonna sleep; I'm tired. You wore me out."

An eyebrow rose and he said, "No, you lack stamina."

"Oh, shush."

...

Dante came back from the strip club and trudged up the stairs, somewhat exhausted. It was rather late at night and the shop was quiet. Once he arrived at the landing, he saw that Lucy's door was closed and just as he was about to enter his room – the door opened - and Vergil emerged, closing the door behind him, slicking his hair back, readjusting his cravat and coat.

Both brothers stopped and stared at each other for a while until Vergil said, "Good evening, Dante."

"Hey, Verge." He was drunk but he stared as Vergil passed him on the hallway and went downstairs. Leaning against the wall, he smiled goofily and waved at him. "You smell funny. You smell like Lucy."

"Yes, that nymph has distracted me all day."

"Huh? What?" He couldn't hear the rest, for Vergil had left his field of vision. "Bro? Where did you go?"

A few moments later, the door to Lucy's room reopened and Lucy herself stepped out, looking slightly dazed. She was also half-dressed.

Dante stared wide-eyed for a moment before he let out a bark of laughter. "Hey, Luce." He slurred; she appeared disheveled, with her hair messy and numerous red marks on her neck.

"Hey Dante, are you okay?"

He waggled his index finger at her as he took a few drunken steps forwards and stopped at his room where the door was closed. "Me...I'm fine...but you? Yer up to somethin'...just what were you and Vergil doin' when I was out?" He leaned against the door and Lucy blushed.

"Um...nothing."

"Liarrrrr." He drawled, grinning widely before the door gave in and opened; Dante followed the movement and dropped over the ground.

"Dante!" Lucy exclaimed and rushed into the room to see him lying face flat over the floor. A few moments later, he began to snore and she cocked her head to the side. "...Dante?" She said, prodding at him with her finger, but there was no response.

Vergil was suddenly at her side. "Leave him."

"You're still here." She said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yes. You thought I left?"

"...I woke up and you weren't there." She said, pouting. Turning to Dante, she added, "Will he be okay?"

Vergil nodded.

"I don't think we can leave him like this. Help me bring him to his bed." She said, and he emitted a gentle sigh, then grabbed Dante by the arm and lifted him off the floor without Lucy's help. She watched as he helped his younger twin over to the bed and dropped him off. Dante was oblivious, still snoring away.

When Vergil returned to Lucy, he grasped her by the arm gently and led her out of the landing and into their room. "Why have you left the room? You're barely dressed."

"I told you: I woke up and you were gone."

He observed silently for a few moments, then said, "Foolish girl. I have no intention to leave."

She didn't think she'd be so happy to hear those words. Once inside the room, she returned to the bed and slipped inside. Turning to him, she said, "You don't have to take the chair. You can sleep here with me. There should be enough space for the both of us."

He shook his head at the invitation.

"Really? After everything we've done and you'd rather sleep on the chair? You want to keep watch that badly?"

He nodded.

Lucy gave him a weak smile and sat up with the covers at her lap. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." He said, gesturing to the chair; he moved down and seated himself, closing his eyes.

She pouted, playing with one corner of the duvet with her hands, "How long will you stay? Hey, promise me that when I wake up, you'll still be here?"

He nodded briefly.

"Thanks." She smiled at him fondly. The lights went off, the room went dark, and the room went silent. Attempting to rest, he closed his eyes again but he heard his mate's voice, although her voice was now muffled, blotted out... it had become a lulling, beckoning whisper, echoing deep from the recesses of his mind. "_Why can't you stay forever?_"

He murmured, "I must find Tubal-cain."

"_What do you think will happen when you meet Tubal-cain?_"

"He will bestow me a weapon – a weapon so powerful that it is capable of slaying Mundus once and for all - and that he will tell me that I must return to hell to accomplish this task...and there will be no return."

"_Then why must you seek him out...even if it kills you?_ _What about your mate...? And your brother? Don't you care for them? In fact...you don't need to answer that...you've been here for a week...you've been stalling...and now you've mated..._" The voice continued, "_I see...Then you have become weak...you have no resolve...Tubal-cain has no use for the weak...You are unworthy to wield the Kusanagi_."

"Kusanagi?"

Vergil opened his eyes.

He was no longer sitting on the chair but lying on a bed – Lucy's bed – and Lucy herself was sleeping beside him, her arm wrapped around him tightly. It was night. He was confused. When had he moved from the chair to the bed? Had he passed out? He didn't remember. He carefully removed her arm and sat up in bed, frowning. His eyes narrowed then as he recalled the whispering words. It must have been Tubal-cain, maybe his messenger, who'd spoken to him.

He got off the bed silently, found his coat on a hook on the wall and donned it. Taking one last look at his mate, he reached over and stroked the side of her face, running his fingers through her hair before he trailed his hand down the soft curve of her cheek. "Hm." He made a satisfied noise from the back of his throat as he caressed her. There was a lot more he wanted to say to her but ultimately could not bring himself to. He wasn't sure why. It was not because he was afraid or worried. "...I must leave." He whispered, and she groaned inaudibly and snuggled further into the covers. "Do not wait for me, Lucy."

Then he left her room and passed Dante's room, where he could see his twin also fast asleep. Vergil went downstairs and taking one more glance at the shop, he slid outside and let the doors close behind him.

* * *

**A/N**

Aaaaaand he's off. Lol there was a bit of an Alfred Hitchcock moment there. Which also moves me to another question – **should Lucy be Nero's mom or is that too typical?** Should I go down that route (which by the way, has been the foundation for some other Vergil OC fics). Considering capcom provided us this cutscene where this woman in red spots Vergil – my god obviously I am refusing to settle for that. Surely Vergil deserves a tad more?


	23. Chapter 23

Yo, here is another update. I guess the lemon didn't turn everyone off this story or make you guys full of rage since there's not been a drastic decrease in followers or favs.

THANK YOU MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS...

Also, since I have received conflicting information about Nero's origins so I'll give up on any potential ideas about Lucy being Nero's birth mommy because I don't want to write about stuff that just isn't accurate or correct. Since I'm kinda writing this as I go along, I'll see how it goes. Just to let you know I have no plans for this fic to be a baby fic in any form.

Another unrelated topic... and I totally forgot about this, but please please pleaseeeeee do not read my first fic on this board _Siren_, another DMC fic, it was just really awful and makes me cringe. I can't believe I wrote it ermagerd! I am so ashamed...

And... I've never played Paper Mario before so in response to the reviewer who wrote the request, unfortunately I need to decline because I can't really write a fic about DmC Vergil x Mario crossover since I'm not familiar... Needless to say...uh, interesting choice of crossover...I've seen harry potter crossovers, Naruto crossovers, but not so much Super Mario x DMC. That is definitely a first. I hope you find someone who can write the fic for you! Or why don't you try yourself? Since you have the title and plot sorted out you seem to know what you are doing! ;)

* * *

_"Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?'_

...

...

Vergil had traveled far from civilization, venturing further and further away from the streets and shops and cars until the buildings and the lights became more and more sparse and he saw less and less humans and then there was nothing but dry, dusty road and wilderness; it'd been a week since he left Dante's shop but he knew he was close to his goal. Soon, he would meet the legendary blacksmith who had allegedly forged weapons for Sparda. Tubal-cain's lair was described in ancient tomes and books to be located high atop a mountain somewhere north, surrounded by a vast forest of stone.

His travels eventually led him to an isolated monastery perched atop a dangerous cliff edge far, far away from the cities and the towns; the more he climbed up, the more the air became thick and heavy and cold and thick mists curled to his thighs, obscuring the majority of his vision. It took him ten thousand steps to reach the grand entrance – the monastery was a gothic-looking church. He entered the great establishment where he saw monks dressed in black and blue robes sitting in the great hall in silence whilst some were busy with their orderly duties. Glancing around, he took one step inside and all heads turned to him.

Vergil eyed the men in steely silence until he was approached by an elderly monk in long black robes who bowed upon his arrival. "Welcome, Son of Sparda." He said, "We have been waiting for you."

"Who are you?"

"We serve Lord Tubal-cain; we are to show you the way that will lead you to him. Firstly, perhaps you'd like some food and water?"

"No, that won't be necessary." He hardly had an appetite. "Take me to Tubal-cain now."

"Yes, Son of Sparda. This way."

They weren't demons, they were humans. Vergil followed the elder monk deeper into the winding trails of the monastery, passing more silent monks who kept their heads low until they arrived at a large stone door that was etched with a carving of a phoenix and a dragon. The elder monk pushed open the door and it swung with a great, low creak, revealing a passage of thick trees before them.

"Follow the path to reach the Stone Forest. There, your trial will begin." was the elder monk's cryptic reply. Vergil took one step inside and the elder monk closed the door behind him, leaving him on his own.

Glancing up, the gaps between the trees indicated sunlight, which meant he was now outside. Venturing through the path, Vergil did not see any opponents until he arrived at a clearing and saw the first stone pillar. It was an obelisk that stood tall and proud in the middle that was engraved with an ancient language, one he was not familiar with.

He only saw one path ahead, and with little else to do or decipher from the obelisk, he left the clearing and the more he ventured, he saw corpses and skeletal remains lining the dry, muddy path. They seemed to be warriors, donned in rusting armor and helmets along with all manner of weaponry scattered at their fallen bodies, ranging from swords to axes. He then came to a dead end. Turning round to the direction he had come from, the path was now missing.

It appeared he was sealed inside.

He saw several stone pillars standing proudly in the ground along with boulders of random sizes and shapes scattered and lined before him in erratic manner. Something did not feel right; the atmosphere was rather heavy with demonic energy. Vergil shifted his glance left and right, and slowly, his hand crept towards Yamato's hilt.

When the first stone pillar moved, he dodged and the pillar slammed into the ground, causing the earth beneath him to tremble so fiercely and loudly, it resembled an earthquake. He evaded one assault only for the stone pillar to rear back up and suddenly, the boulders and stones on the ground were shaking – they flew up into the air and shot towards the direction of the stone pillar and joined onto it, forming distinct shapes that resembled arms and legs. Rising to stand, the humanoid stone warrior towered above him a good ten feet or so.

Narrowing his eyes, Vergil readied Yamato and glancing to the side and back when he saw more stone warriors approaching him.

...

"He's lasted more than the other challengers."

"How many days?"

"Three."

"And how many nights?"

"Three."

"And how many of the stonemen are left?"

"Just one."

"How many has he defeated?"

"Twenty four."

"Impressive. Very well, Indra, bring him to me."

"Yes, Lord Tubal-cain."

...

Three days and three nights.

It had been three days and three nights.

Gritting his teeth, Vergil avoided another attack from the stone warrior to his right – he'd now cut the group of stone warriors to just the one but he could see more and more reforming and approaching him slowly – and his blade was becoming duller and the edges torn and scuffled due to the prolonged use, especially against the stone. If this kept up, Yamato might _break_. Delivering a blow to the stone warrior's arm, he cut through the gaps of the rock and one arm fell off. The stone warrior – although lacking any distinct human feature – seemed to have noticed its missing limb before Vergil abruptly sliced through the gap of its head – the stone warrior stumbled and fell; upon its defeat as it fell onto the ground, it broke apart, the stones and boulders rolling.

"Alright, that's enough."

At the sound of the new voice, all stone warriors stopped in their tracks and Vergil whipped round with Yamato and a couple of summoned swords aimed at the newcomer.

It was a young man, who was tall and handsome with sleek black hair tied into a high ponytail. He was donned in a black hakama covered in silver armor fit for a warrior, along with a rich red cloak hanging off his pauldrons. He held a bronze naginata in one hand and once he stepped into the battlefield, he said, "Whoaaa, calm, Son of Sparda, I mean you no harm; you have passed Lord Tubal-cain's trial."

Panting, he finally felt exhaustion take over but he forced himself to stand. "...Are you Tubal-cain's messenger?" Vergil said.

The man gave a brief, surly nod. "My name is Indra. My master awaits you."

Vergil merely watched him, cautious. "What kind of trial was this?"

"My lord doesn't just see anybody. Oh, no. And I'm sure you received our message. Kusanagi cannot be wielded by anyone. But still...Three days and three nights without stopping." Indra hopped up on one of the stone warrior's fallen bodies, and said, "Very impressive. Most even can't defeat one, let alone twenty five."

"Enough talk. Take me to your master."

"Very well. Follow me." The man's responses were curt and quick, exactly as Vergil liked it. He followed Indra the warrior man towards the new path that had appeared from nowhere, revealing more stone pillars. "Lord Tubal-cain is this way."

He followed Indra deep into the stone forest and the remaining stone warriors, with no more adversaries, returned to their usual plots on the ground and the life faded from them, and the stone pillars in the rest of the path didn't seem intent on coming to life either. However, it was still easy to get lost and as Indra weaved through the confusing path, they finally arrived at a high, rocky mountainside with a stone door carved with yet again, another dragon and phoenix. Two burning torches were also fixed to both sides.

Indra opened the door to reveal a cave and stepped inside without further ado. Inside, it was rather hot and dark. A single rocky path led to another door far ahead. Vergil glanced around his surroundings warily; he saw molten lava pouring from crevices and into bubbling pits below and the walls were pebbly and bathed in a deep mahogany, maroon red color. This was definitely a blacksmith's forge. After the long walk and they arrived at the last door – this time it was made out of steel with a thick ring as a handle - and Indra pushed it open and ventured in.

It was another cave, but it stretched so high there didn't seem to be a ceiling. Vast arrays of weapon racks littered the sides of the caves, with a variety of artillery from crossbows, swords, polearms, spears and naginatas. Vergil could also see numerous stone pillars supporting the cave, and all were etched with the same kind of intricate patterns like the doors and the designs were identical, except for two pillars, which were blank. Vergil was greeted with the sight of a gargantuan being who was busy bludgeoning away at a sword over a massive fire pit with a heated hammer. Sparks flying, the cave was loud with the repetitive crunch of steel being molded and crafted. Perhaps what was most prominent about this gigantic man was his six arms...

"Lord Tubal-cain? Vergil is here." Indra said.

The six-armed giant finally stopped hammering at the sword and turned to the two men who were literally the size of ants before him. "Thank you, Indra." came his booming voice; with one of his free arms, Tubal-cain waved one hand dismissively and Indra was suddenly engulfed in a flurry of flames and Vergil stepped backwards.

In Indra's place was a scaly, golden and long serpent-like dragon who then rose into the air and coiled itself around one of the pillars – a blank pillar – and became one with the stone.

Tubal-cain let out a belting laughter once Indra returned to his pillar, "Greetings, Son of Sparda, it is a pleasure to have you here." Noticing that Vergil was eyeing the dragon pillar, he added, "Indra is one of the finest species of fire dragon there is. He warmed the hearth that created Rebellion."

Vergil rose an eyebrow. "And Yamato?"

"The flames that crafted your sword were created by a Phoenix." came Tubal-cain's reply. Glancing around, Vergil saw no phoenix etched on any pillars and Tubal-cain laughed again. "Hah! I knew you would understand. She is gone, you see."

"You invited me here."

"Indeed I did."

"And you are supposed to grant me a weapon that will defeat Mundus?"

Tubal-cain put away his blacksmith tools – with six arms it was definitely more convenient as he was able to put away everything at once with minimal effort – and finally, the gigantic man turned to him, then nodded. "Of course. The Kusanagi is the finest weapon I have ever crafted, the only blade that is capable of defeating Mundus once and for all."

"Why should I trust you?"

"My dear boy, I have long been in servitude of your father, Sparda, and I was there when he rebelled against Mundus. Do you think I would not offer my assistance to his sons?" With Vergil's steely silence, he sighed and added, "I forged the very sword in your possession. I also forged the Force Edge and Rebellion, so you can trust me."

Vergil contemplated; as he glanced around the rest of the cave at the numerous weapons on display. They were all of intricate design which he had never seen before. "Very well. You have my trust."

"Smart boy. But before I give you Kusanagi... first, you must do something for me in return."

"What is your request?"

"The Phoenix."

Vergil watched as Tubal-cain left the forge to sit down on a stone throne, slumping entirely over the hard surface. Tubal-cain resembled human, despite having six arms. He wore shabby white robes and straw sandals that were caked in soot and dirt, and his hands and nails were worn with grit and tear, probably from the centuries of crafting only the best weapons known to demon-kind. His face was something out of a Japanese historic painting; he had rugged features, thick eyebrows, a square blunt chin and a stern face and strong eyes.

"The Phoenix has been with me for thousands of years. The Phoenix that warms the hearth – she is due to die in five days. When their life ends, they burst into flames, and from their ashes, they are reborn."

Vergil listened, wondering what this may have to do with him.

"She is a trickster, and I was careless enough that she cast me under a powerful spell, causing me to fall into a deep sleep for five years. Indra was powerless to stop her and to wake me up," He said, gesturing to the pillar which Indra was wrapped around, "But I woke a couple of days ago to find her missing. She has escaped to the human world, taking on human form. For what reason, I am unsure, but Son of Sparda, will you retrieve the Phoenix for me?"

"How will I be able to find her?" Vergil asked. He despised fulfilling requests like these; it was no different than when he was helping Dante was menial jobs at Devil May Cry, taking on business from weak humans.

Tubal-cain pulled out a circular piece of jade with a hole in the middle and tossed it at him; Vergil caught it fluidly and it shrunk to his size, fitting into his palm. "That is the Eye of Tubal-Cain. Not literally, of course. But if you peer through it, it will show you the truth; you will see any deities or demons who have taken human guise. The Phoenix will be no different. I understand this might seem of an errand of you, but fulfill my demand and I shall reward you most generously."

"You have given me very vague details about finding this Phoenix of yours," Vergil said, "She could be anywhere on this earth."

"Then you better hurry up, Son of Sparda." Tubal-cain said, and with that, Vergil took the Eye of Tubal-cain and left the cave wordlessly.

* * *

Vergil had been gone for a few days now.

She woke up that day only to find him missing, and she did try to search for him, but even Dante had no idea where he might be. He mentioned something about 'Tubal-cain' so she knew he had gone searching for more power. He could have at least left a note or waited until she woke up. Lucy had been in a bad mood since then, especially considering he got up and left her after they had sex. Even thinking about it made her feel a little sick. It sounded like a distasteful plot of a soap drama on TV. She tried a pregnancy test when she recalled no condoms or birth control was used (since they were so absorbed in the moment) but so far, the results came out negative. There were no pregnancy scares. Finally, when Lucy was tired of her search and when work came up, she had no choice but to forget about Vergil for the time being, go in and work her shift. She was still at the Bull's Eye Bar, despite having made the promise to Vergil.

Lucy finished her shift after a grueling total of eight hours, and her last task for the night was to throw the trash out. She had no choice but to oblige, so she quickly stepped out of the busy kitchen with four large gaping trash bags hanging off her and waddled towards the dumpster which was just round the corner. Once she arrived, she opened the lid and the stench that poured from it was unbearable. Holding her breath, she lifted the trash bags and dumped them in one after the other.

"Phew!" She exhaled loudly after the task and as she turned, she heard a shuffling noise. Lucy stopped, glancing around the tiny, dirty alleyway.

What was that?

She couldn't see anything or anyone. Suddenly, a trashcan to her right moved. She leapt slightly at the sudden movement until a little white furry creature poked its head out of the metal can.

It was a cat.

Lucy stared wide-eyed at it, then inched towards it slowly. It was a small cat that had been digging around the trash, with pearly white fur and blue eyes. It noticed her and meowed loudly, attracting her attention. "Oh, what a cute little kitty." She cooed, reaching out for it. Its fur was a little dirty, caked in mud and grime. She hesitantly reached a hand out and to her surprise, it allowed her to pat it on the head gently. "Hey there, little guy..."

"Meow." The cat affectionately rubbed its head under her palm, purring.

"So cute..." She added, and she reached out for it, scooped it into her arms and stroked its back; it seemed to enjoy the attention, closing its eyes and continuously rubbing itself against her. Before long, there was a noise to her left and she glanced over to see another trash can shuddering before the lid popped off and another white cat appeared. It also had blue eyes, identical to the one she was holding...although this one was a lot cleaner and held its head up high, tail in the air. Throwing a glance to the cat in her hands, she noticed the similarities between the two. "Oooh, looks like you have a sibling."

The cat in her arms jumped out and joined its brother (or sister), before they began to groom each other, although the other cat, the new and not-so-dirty one, turned away from its sibling cat and began grooming itself and licking its paws.

"That's adorable." She commented as she watched the display. "Huh, you remind me of Dante..." She pointed to the friendly cat. "I think I'll call you 'Dante'."

Turning to the other, the new cat, she reached for it and immediately it stopped grooming itself and hissed and tried to scratch her. Lucy immediately pulled her hand away. "Yikes! Don't scratch me! I'm going to call you 'Vergil'."

The cats returned to each other and she watched them with a somewhat awkward fascination until –

"Oh no, I gotta get back." Lucy spun on her heel and hurriedly returned to the bar, giving the cats one last look before she shut the door behind her. At the bar, she washed her hands with disinfectant, grabbed her warm coat and donned it, then headed outside into the main serving area where another waitress was waiting for her; she was an attractive and tall girl, with long, golden hair and pretty green eyes. "Hey, Pheebs, sorry to make you wait."

"Hey, Lucy. It's okay, I wasn't waiting long." With a grin, the waitress called Pheebs said, "Shall we?"

"Sure, let's go." Lucy replied, grinning.

Lucy and Pheebs left the bar and began walking home. Since they finished shifts roughly the same time, both girls decided it would be safer to walk home together although Pheebs would have to walk a couple of more blocks until she would arrive home. Over her time spent at the bar, Lucy had grown close to Pheebs the most. Pheebs had been at the bar the longest, at least two years. She lived close and they were also around the same age. Lucy seemed to have a lot in common with the girl. They could talk about almost anything.

With the shift over, Lucy and Pheebs walked through the quiet and empty streets, chatting animatedly to each other.

"So, how's it going with that guy you told me about?" Pheebs asked, which only caused Lucy to scowl.

"Let's not talk about him. He drives me crazy."

"Oh no, are you two arguing?"

"No, he left."

Pheebs gasped, "Lucy, I'm so sorry...I shouldn't have asked."

Lucy shook her head in response. "No, no, no, it's not like that after all. He does that. He comes and goes whenever he pleases. It's just that...this time, we...er..."

As Lucy trailed off, Pheebs grinned and said, "Ah, I see. It's a guy thing, I suppose."

"He could've at least told me where he was heading."

"Maybe he didn't want you to worry."

Lucy pondered for a while then ultimately found herself agreeing. "...I guess..."

The two girls continued their small talk until Lucy arrived at Devil May Cry. They exchanged a brief hug and Lucy disappeared inside, leaving Pheebs on her own. Pheebs silently made her way down the street, thinking about the conversation they'd had and she was only two blocks away until she would reach her home, but she was not alone. Strange monsters came emerging from dark portals, screeching and shrieking at her and dragging their weapons behind them. They approached her in jerky-like movements and Pheebs glanced at these creatures as they surrounded her.

At first, Pheebs merely stared at the creatures tiredly, then she wailed out, "Oh my god! Someone help! Ahhhh!"

As though her cries for help had been heard, a shadow suddenly swooped towards the ground and landed in front of her and she saw that it was a man with silver hair dressed in red wielding a sword. Pheebs stared in shock at the stranger who then proceeded to engage in battle with the creatures and with his massive greatsword, he sliced and diced all the hellish creatures until they had dissolved into nothingness.

Turning to her, the man grinned widely, showing his pearly whites that matched his hair. "Hey, babe. You okay?"

Pheebs stared in amazement and awe before her gaze landed on that sword of his. Cocking her head to the side, she then proceeded to squeal out, "My hero!"

His eyebrow rose, as she hopped over and threw her arms over him tightly. "Whoa!" He exclaimed, taken aback by the bold gesture.

"You saved me from those terrible monsters! Oh, how shall I ever repay you, strong one? How about some money? Here, take all the money you want! I don't need so much anyway!" Pheebs opened her bag, took out her purse and handed him all the notes she had, which made the silver-haired man blink in astonishment.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down! Hang on a second!" He held her at arm's length, gazing at her from head to toe. "You...You're Pheebs, right? Or is it Phoebe?"

"Pheebs is fine. How do you know me?"

"Lucy told me about you."

Pheebs said, "Oh, you must be Dante! You're the owner of that music shop, _Devil May Cry_, right?"

Music shop? It must've been the front which Lucy decided to go with. Dante said, albeit with a slight wince, "...Yep, that's me. That's my shop."

"Thanks for saving me. That was ever so kind. Lucy didn't tell me you weren't actually a musician, but a monster killer. I knew the name of your shop was kinda funny, I didn't know you meant it literally!"

"Er...yeah." Glancing around, he decided it would not be smart to talk about demons here. "Hey, you better come with me for the time being. It's not safe out here."

"But I just met you. You're a total stranger. And you're asking me to go with you?"

"Er. Yeah."

"If I go with you, are we going to talk more about those monsters and who you are?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, sounds good to me! Let's go!" Pheebs said eagerly, and whilst Dante gave her a funny look, she added, "Lead the way!"

* * *

**A/N**

I have a really weird sense of humor...

Imagery help...

Tubal-cain's monastery = High Hrothgar from Skyrim

Tubal-cain's ascetic monks = Greybeards from High Hrothgar from Skyrim

Stone warriors that Vergil was fighting for 3 days and 3 nights without stopping = Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus...

lol

Oh, and:

Pheebs = the missing Phoenix, no surprises there I suppose (...I guess I could've been more creative with her name lmao...plus she works at Lucy's bar and Vergil's been sent to retrieve her oh my what a coincidence but of courseee lol)


	24. Chapter 24

Hey everyone, I really realllllllly struggled with this chapter (hence the lack of update...). I really shoulda introduced the character Pheebs a lot earlier into this story so this wouldn't happen. Either way, it's pretty quick and I don't leave much room for description or explanation and maybe you won't even feel a thing for this chapter.

* * *

_"Sometimes...they threaten you with something – something you can't stand up to, can't even think about. _

_And then you say, 'Don't do it to me, do it to somebody else, do it to so-and-so.' _

_... And after that, you don't feel the same towards the other person any longer."_

...

...

Pheebs sat between Dante and Lucy, scooping cookies into her mouth whilst the two muttered and murmured to each other about their next steps. Pheebs had never had cookies before, but she was enjoying them very much.

"How much did she see?" Lucy asked, as Pheebs grabbed a cookie in each hand and proceeded to stuff them into her mouth, even though she already had a couple of cookies in her mouth already.

"Pretty much the whole package." Dante replied, watching the girl scoff her way with morbid fascination, "There was a large group of 'em. I had to step in."

"Yikes... And how did she take it?"

"She seems pretty fine to me."

Dante and Lucy turned to Pheebs who was now downing some beer as if her life was depending on it. Settling the can down, she wiped the back of her mouth free of crumbs and booze and slumped in her seat, patting her stomach.

"Er...Pheebs?" Lucy said.

"Oh my...I'm so full. I feel sick." Pheebs grunted out.

"Don't eat so much at once."

"Yeah. No more beer and cookies for you." Dante said, picking his pack of cans up and settling them on the floor, away from her grasp. Pheebs had gone through two packets of cookies and three beers. There was nothing else in the shop and Lucy cringed and made a mental note to go grocery shopping the day after.

"So...what are we talking about again?" Pheebs said, glancing from the devil hunter, to Dante.

"Demons." Dante replied.

"...Right. And that they exist. I gotcha."

Lucy glanced at Dante again. Pheebs' response was a little delayed but... Lucy nodded, "Yes, they exist. And Dante is a demon hunter."

"Do you make a lot of money from your line of work, Dante?"

Dante grinned at her, "'Course I do, babe." Accompanying his remark with a wink, he added, "Hey, how 'bout we – "

"Dante, don't think about it, she's got a boyfriend."

There was a silence as Dante gawked at the two women for a while, whilst Pheebs beamed brightly in response. "Yep, I sure do! Oh, I should get back home. Babycakes will be so worried..."

_Babycakes?_ Dante thought. "Alrighty then, everything seems to be settled here. Pheebs, I'll take ya home."

"Great, let's go." Pheebs quickly shot up from her seat and left the shop. Dante followed after her, whilst Lucy watched them awkwardly.

...

Dante escorted Pheebs home, and after she waved him off and watched him leave, she opened the door to her house, locked it and grinned widely when she saw a young man fast asleep on the couch before a flashing TV. At the sound of the door closing behind her, the man opened his eyes groggily, sat up, and she was bounding towards him.

"Nathan? Babycakes! I'm home!" She exclaimed, leaping into his arms. They snuggled tightly on the couch until he pulled away.

"How was work?" He asked, a little sleepily.

"Meh. The same. How was your day?"

"Um...well, the usual..."

"Aww, my poor baby." She hugged him even tighter.

"Ahhh, it's okay..." Nathan's nose wrinkled and he sniffed the air, then turned to her.

"What is it?"

"It's that smell again...Fire..."

"Oh, you mean _that_ smell?" Pheebs laughed nervously, as she sniffed herself, then grinned at him, "Well, you know that there are a lot of smokers in the bar, it must've rubbed off on me."

"...Alright..." Glancing at the clock, Nathan frowned, "...It's late...Go on, take a shower. I'll be right up after you. Next time, I'll pick you up... It's not safe for you to walk home on your own."

She shook her head, squeezing her arms around him tightly, "No, it's okay, don't worry. I'm a big girl now, I can manage." She beamed at him again, to reassure him but it only caused him to emit a gentle sigh. Moving off the couch, she took two, three steps forwards until collapsing; he caught her before she fell and Pheebs dropped into his arms, exhausted, and closed her eyes.

"Pheebs? What's wrong?"

"...Nothing...just tired..." She murmured; she felt him stroking her hair and re-opened her eyes with a smile.

"I'll carry you." He looped her arm over his shoulder before lifting her into his arms, bridal-style. She looked up at him and smiled as he carried her up the stairs.

Deep inside, she knew she didn't have much time left.

...

"Pheebs? Pheebs, wake up."

She opened her eyes to see Nathan before her shaking her thoroughly with a worried expression and she slowly sat up, groaning. "...What's wrong?" She croaked out, as he sat down beside her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her.

"I've been trying to get you to wake up for half an hour now. You...you didn't respond." He said, rubbing her arms, "I got worried."

"I'm okay, just really tired, that's all...I need to go to work..."

"Maybe you should just call in sick."

She shook her head. "No, they're short on staff today...I need to go in..." With that, Pheebs lifted herself off the bed and trudged over to the bathroom to get ready.

She was still not feeling well when she got changed and arrived at The Bull's Eye Bar. She didn't have very long shift...it was only six hours. Maybe she should've listened to Nathan after all. Pheebs came in, looking rather miserly; Lucy was at the bar already, cleaning a shotglass.

"Hey, Pheebs." Lucy greeted.

"Hello, Lucy..."

She immediately noticed how lethargic she was. "Are you okay? You don't look good."

"I'm fine...I'm fine..."

But Lucy took her to the side gently, grasping her by the arm only to pull back. "Pheebs? What's the matter? You're...you're so warm. You're burning up." Lucy said, taking her arm again to feel how hot and flushed her skin was. She also saw the little beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Lucy, I'm fine, honestly..." Pheebs brushed her aside as her shift began immediately; she served all customers as much as she could yet her head was spinning the entire time and she found it hard to concentrate but she knew the cause; this human form would not keep for long. Maybe she didn't have as long as she had thought.

After four hours or so and the sky was beginning to get dark, Pheebs finally came to a stop in her work and put a hand to her forehead; no use, she was burning up. Literally.

_I...It's too late..._

Pheebs untied her apron and hastily put it down on the counter. A few concerned staff and Daisy began calling for her, but she ignored them and stepped through the back entrance and into the alley. She stood on her own for a while until she realized what she needed to do.

_I need to go home..._

Taking one step, she abruptly came to a halt when she sensed a presence nearby and turned to see a man in blue heading towards her in the quiet alleyway. He resembled Dante and she knew who he was. She'd recognize them from anywhere – a Son of Sparda - Vergil, judging from the choice of color and coat.

"I see you." He murmured; his tone was icy, "_Phoenix_." He was holding the Eye of Tubal-cain in hand.

She couldn't help but comment, "Nice artifact. I bet my master gave you that."

"Tubal-cain wishes for your safe return and has asked me to accomplish this task." Vergil said.

"Oh yes, what a gallant and mighty man you are, going up against a Phoenix." Pheebs quipped back; to her surprise, her breath was visible, puffs of thick smoke emitting from her mouth.

"The bird must return to its cage."

"Leave me alone, Son of Sparda."

"My sincerest condolences, but that cannot be done."

"I like it here; I don't want to go back!"

"That was not a request."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Then I'll burn you to ashes on the spot."

"You will return with me to your master, unwilling or not."

"And how do you think you'll do that?"

"I have my resources, Phoenix."

"I'd rather _die_."

"Apparently, you die in three days. Therefore, what difference will it make." Vergil replied stonily, "I will give you the option to surrender yourself to me peacefully, or – "

"I said _I'd rather die_."

"Then you leave me with little choice."

Vergil sprang backwards and sent a flurry of summoned swords at her direction and Pheebs dodged the attacked with expert movement, whipping her head up to glare at Vergil. Immediately, their fight had begun – Pheebs stood up and Vergil watched she became wrapped up in flames and her normal workwear eroded away to resemble red and yellow robes. Retaining a human form, her hair became wilder and loose, flowing down her back in long waves whilst her emerald eyes shone brightly under the light. The Phoenix immediately summoned a barrage of iron swords from out of nowhere which surrounded her in a circle before she sent them flying towards Vergil. He batted them all away but the swords had a mind of their own and continuously chased after him.

"You look surprised that our technique is almost the same." The Phoenix said, "Did my master not tell you? It was my fire that forged the very sword you wield. Any power it has, it got it from me!"

Vergil evaded another sword that came zooming at him and suddenly, the door to the bar opened and –

"Pheebs? There you are." It was Lucy; however, her eyes widened as soon as she spotted the two before the tip of a sword was flying at her direction. Before it could strike her, the Phoenix immediately changed its direction and sent it to the brick wall instead. Lucy crouched down with an alarmed shriek and Vergil was at her side in seconds. She couldn't help but gawk between the two in shock. "Vergil, what are you doing here? Pheebs, what the..._what the hell is going on here_?!"

"That." Vergil said, in response to her growing confusion, "is a Phoenix."

"Phoenix?" Lucy squeaked out, as Pheebs recalled the remaining swords and they returned to hover around her in a clockwise fashion.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy." Pheebs muttered, "I wanted to tell you."

Whilst his mate continued to gape, Vergil added, "They are extremely rare and powerful creatures... and this one, belongs to Tubal-cain."

Lucy was still unable to get it wrapped through her head. How could her waitress friend...her cheerful, eccentric friend...be a Phoenix? Stammering now, she croaked out, "...What? I-I...I can't believe this..."

"Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant," Vergil said, "My task is to return her to her master."

"Why?"

"I was promised a great reward."

She knew he was talking about power again. Changing her stance, the Phoenix growled at Vergil and summoned two additional swords which joined the rest of the current ones, hovering up and down in mid-air. "I can't go back. I like it here. I am sorry, Lucy." Without another word, she sent the swords hurtling towards them.

"No!" Lucy yelped out, as Vergil shielded her from the danger using Yamato to fling the swords away. She closed her eyes as the swords went flying to different directions away from them.

And the battle was back on. Ducking from a sword, Vergil left Lucy's side and as more swords whaled on him, he repelled them away one by one and finally managed to close into the Phoenix until she leapt backwards and opening her mouth wide, he saw that the depths and lining of her throat was red and fiery, hot and full of smoke. Glowing yellow lines began to appear on her face like cracks on a glass and then the Phoenix spewed forth a massive flame and Lucy stared in a mixture of bewilderment and horror.

Vergil avoided the attack by springing away in a split second although one of his sleeves caught on fire. Lucy finally snapped out of her stupor and ran over, trying to assist him in putting out the flame but to no avail. The Phoenix ceased her attack, watching with a smirk as he tried to stop the flames from spreading. "It's Phoenix fire, it won't go away that easily." She said, before she twirled and became engulfed in a burst of flames.

Tearing his coat off himself, which was still alight with fire, Vergil ushered Lucy behind him and held Yamato tightly in grip just as a large red and orange majestic bird with flames lining its wings soared into the sky, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. Stunned, Lucy stared with widened eyes before Vergil suddenly turned to her.

"She worked in this dismal establishment the entire time." She could hear him muttering. "You were even companions."

Lucy shook her head. "I-I didn't know!"

"Hn. Of course you were oblivious."

She stared at him in confusion; there were too many things to register in her mind. The first was obviously Vergil's sudden arrival and then there was Pheebs, who actually turned out to be a Phoenix which would've explained Vergil's presence here...but still...

As Vergil made a move to leave, she did the first thing that came to her mind and unintentionally grabbed his arm. "Vergil, wait."

"What?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What you witnessed did not explain _anything_ to you at all?"

Despite his absence, she remembered how blunt and sarcastic he could be. "You left." She said, a little bitterly, "You promised me, and you still left. You were gone for more than a week and I had no idea where you were and I was worried, and now that you're back, you're just acting like everything's normal."

As though she wanted to elicit some form of response from him, he was indifferent to her cause. "I will speak with you later; I have more important matters to attend to."

"Vergil – " However, he took her arm off him and before he could take one step forwards, she weaved her way through and stood before him, frowning. "You're not going after Pheebs! I won't let you!"

There was a silence as he observed her. Lucy's legs were trembling as she inwardly contemplated what she was doing. Standing up against Vergil wasn't really the wisest of moves and even though she'd yelled at him before on some occasions, more than once at least, she felt a little afraid of doing anything of that sort this time round.

"Vergil... Pheebs is my friend. I don't care what she is or why you need her; I won't let you take her – "

"I remember very well... My brother once foolishly stood before me, adamant to get in my way. And I cut him down."

She swallowed down the lump in her throat at the threat. "Even if she is a demon, she's still my friend."

"No, she is not your friend. She is not a demon, either; the Phoenix is a deity and she does not belong in the human world."

"A deity?"

"Yes, and a clever one, to have been able to masquerade its presence and stench from us for so long."

"There must be a reason why she's here, and there must be another way."

"There isn't."

"Don't do it!"

"Why? Because she called you friend?" He snapped. She couldn't believe her ears and her expression crumbled, but before she could say anything else, he added, "You look disappointed. Did I not warn you prior?"

"No, I remember. I remember exactly what you told me." Lucy said firmly, before she turned away from him. "...And yes, I am disappointed in you."

...

There was a loud crash outside their home and he woke up from the couch to rise, startled. Rushing to the window, Nathan saw their lawn burnt, littered in tiny flames and covered in smoke. "What the - ?!" He hastily unlocked the front door and ran outside, to see Pheebs sprawled over the grassy area, panting heavily and he dropped to his knees once he was at her side. "Pheebs?!"

"...Nathan..." She glanced up weakly, reaching for him.

He pulled her into his arms and held her close; she was far too warm to touch. "What's going on? Why are you so warm? Are you burning up? A fever?"

She shook her head, "I'm too weak...I can't fight...Nathan, don't let him...take me away...No, I won't let him..."

"What is it, Pheebs? You're not making any sense here. And why are you dressed like that?"

"We need to go – now." She tried to stand, struggling out of his arms and rising, only to stumble again. He caught her before she fell and touched her forehead, wiping away the sweat and feeling how hot she was. He even saw acrid black smoke coming out from her mouth with each pained breath until she let out a terribly cry.

"Pheebs, what's – "

She suddenly pushed him away, yelling loudly in agony and as she threw her head back, a violent burst of flames escaped from her mouth uncontrollably. He screamed at the sight and immediately leapt backwards in horror. Once she finished, she doubled over, palms scraping the ground. Panting heavily, she looked up at him. "...Nathan."

"...What are you...?"

"Nathan, I'm...I wanted to tell you so many times, but – "

"Monster!" He screamed; she went silent, staring at him wordlessly. "_What are you?_"

Pheebs began to whimper, "Nathan..." She slowly tried to reach for him, but he continued taking steps backs until he turned on his heel and fled down the streets promptly. "Nathan! Nathan, _come back_!" When he showed no sign of returning, Pheebs emitted a choked sob. "I'm not a monster..."

At the sound of approaching footsteps, she glanced over to see it was none other than Vergil. She quickly dabbed away at her eyes and turned away from him. "How pitiable." was his comment, "Your true love has deserted you."

"How did you find me...?" She croaked out.

"The flames." He replied bluntly, and there was a silence; Vergil hadn't used his sword, nor did he take a step forwards. Maybe he'd seen how weak she was and that she wouldn't able to fight him in the first place. "You're dying."

"I know."

"You cannot continue sustaining your human form any longer."

"I just wanted to know what it felt like."

"And?"

"It hurts."

"What did you have to gain from this?"

"...I spent two hundred thousand years by Tubal-cain's side...I supplied the fire that crafted the very weapons you wield day in and day out...I had never left...and I was curious." She mumbled, "...I don't regret anything. I don't regret meeting him."

A silence spawned, until Vergil said, "Since you have no regrets, then you should come with me now. Do you understand?"

Glancing up at Vergil, she nodded weakly. "Yes, I'll come with you."

* * *

**A/N**

I tried to think of better ways for Vergil to find the Phoenix. Ultimately I just decided for Vergil to pass by the bar to see if Lucy was still there and coming across the Phoenix. Just to let you know I've picked this story up from chapter 9 and haven't stopped until now. I'm pretty beat. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.


	25. Chapter 25

Review replies! - just the one LOL: Thank you so much for your kind review, redgrave!

After I moved boards I wonder if people know I moved from T to M? Oh well, here's me hoping some people figure out I've just changed rating and not deleted the story or anything.

But yeah I felt like the previous couple of chapters were just downright awful so I need to make it up to you guys.

**Warning** \- some lemony stuff in this chapter

* * *

_"...That person who enters your life out of nowhere and suddenly means the world to you."_

_..._

_..._

"Ah, this must be your mate. Lucy, was it?"

As the six-armed giant peered at them inquisitively, Lucy hid behind Vergil and clutched his arm. "He is addressing you." Vergil said, turning to her slightly.

Nervously, Lucy slid away and Tubal-cain tilted his head to the side. "HAH! Just because I'm a six-armed giant, I'm not going to hurt you so there's no need to be scared. Come closer so I can take a better look at you."

With that, Lucy took a few steps and gawped up at the man. "Hello. I've heard a lot about you from Vergil, Mr Tubal-cain. Thank you for helping us."

He barked with laughter and the entire cave shook. "Excellent. I want Mundus dead as much as Vergil does so this is the least I can do." He said, "Good for you, Son of Sparda, she's a pretty little thing. I like her. I bet he's hard work, isn't he? High maintenance, I reckon?"

Lucy couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter in response. "You got that right."

In a good mood, Tubal-cain howled even louder with laughter and Lucy found herself wobbling until Vergil grabbed her by the shoulder firmly. Once he stopped laughing, Tubal-cain picked up Vergil's charred coat and his blunt sword next. "Right, onto business now. Now, your coat...Hmm, it's still in good shape. I'll be able to mend this in no time. Same goes for Yamato. I'll repair the damage it's sustained." He glanced to the Phoenix next, "Excellent work. I was right to entrust you with this task."

"Thank you, Lord Tubal-cain." He murmured. Vergil stared at the massive fire bird before he shifted his glance to Tubal-cain who was now hanging up the cage high in on one hook dangling off a pillar whilst the other arms were busily crafting away at a weapon over the heated forge.

Lucy was still being held firmly by Vergil; she didn't even know why she was here, but Vergil had asked her to come with him. He took the Phoenix with them too, and she still could not believe it was her friend, Pheebs, who'd taken human form. Apparently she had tricked her master into a deep sleep for five years, and snuck into the human world. Tubal-cain would wake up five years later to find her missing...

"Vergil said you were working a menial human job and you were even frolicking with a human male." Tubal-cain said, obviously directed to the Phoenix. "Tell me, what was that like? _True love_. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? Depressing, I presume, with their pitiful little life spans and their lust-filled, greedy human hearts."

Lucy listened, a little awkwardly. _Hello! There's a little human down here who can hear everything you're saying! Sigh..._

"Far from it. You can mock me for all I care." The Phoenix retorted.

"Phoenix. You deserve punishment but since your Burning Day draws near, I see no point. I am a merciful master and always have been. Live the rest of your days here where you are unburdened and at ease."

The Phoenix flapped her wings in response before folding them, flames gathering. She was the shape of a typical bird, with beautiful red feathers, a fluffy chest and a long swan-like neck yet her head resembled more of a lizard. Her talons were the color of gold. "Very well."

"You've had your fun." Tubal-cain muttered, "I hope it was worth it. Did you learn anything? See anything interesting?"

"I saw lots of things of interest."

"Such as?"

"I saw their houses and their cities and the machines they use to travel in."

"Pathetic, isn't it? After all those years of evolution and that's the best they can come up with, hah!" When the Phoenix said nothing, he let out a sigh and added, "What was the human's name? Nathan? Shall I bring him here and squash the little maggot in front of you?"

"No. Do not do that, master. Please. He did nothing wrong."

"He left you after he found out what you were. Instead of calling you the most wondrous creature on this universe, he screamed and ran away."

The Phoenix said dejectedly, "...He was the first human I met when I arrived. He was kind to me, when I knew nothing about them. If you hurt him or killed him, I would be very sad."

Tubal-cain snorted. "Suit yourself, Phoenix."

Lucy watched the interchange curiously until Vergil said impatiently, "And the reward you promised?"

Tubal-cain seemed annoyed by the question, "Come back in three days, Son of Sparda. I'll have it ready. Until then, you are welcome to stay here. Indra!"

With a snap of his fingers, one of the stone pillars in Tubal-cain's forge came alight and the dragon that was etched on it emerged and hovered in the air, now a living, breathing dragon. "My lord?" said the dragon, and Lucy let out a rather horrified, awe-struck gasp.

"Show our guests to their room." Tubal-cain said, and the dragon appeared before Vergil and Lucy in a tumbling fireball; they had to take a step backwards when the fire dissipated away and a handsome young man dressed in robes complete with armor stood before them – Indra's human form.

He smiled at them both warmly. "Greetings, Son of Sparda. Miss Lucy."

Whilst Lucy gawked at the dragon-turned-man, Vergil said, "Indra."

"Follow me."

Vergil followed Indra and Lucy trailed after him. She stayed close to him the entire time as they walked through the massive and hot, molten lava cave. Lucy threw a quick glance over her shoulder to the six-armed giant and the Phoenix. The bird turned to her and she stared into its wet, beady eyes. She could see the desolation, the sadness and the despair.

...

He didn't really like having Yamato in someone else's care but he had little choice. As he contemplated, Vergil heard echoing footsteps returning and glanced over to see Lucy at the foot of the rocky stairs with a smile on her face.

"Vergil, I had a look outside and there's a hot spring," She exclaimed, a little cheerfully for his liking, "Do you wanna go first?"

However, Vergil stood at the rounded table where two small glasses were for their use along with a glass pot. Who knew Tubal-cain could be so hospitable? Lucy walked over to the bed and sat down on it, testing the firmness of it only to sink into the mattress completely. It was so soft she almost disappeared inside it. He'd been given one cave that was fitted with a king-sized bed and lined with red candles, making it somewhat nice and cozy; Indra had left them to rest and returned to the blacksmith although he did mention that he would come back in the morning.

"He only had one guest cave?" Lucy said, and Vergil settled the glass back over the table and turned to her.

"This is not an inn." He said quietly, "This will suffice."

_Inn_, she snickered at his choice word. "I'll sleep on the floor tonight since I don't see any chairs around. You can take the bed. I don't mind."

"I don't need to rest."

"We'll be here for three days."

"Then I won't rest for three days."

She was annoyed he wouldn't mention anything about sharing the bed so she said, "Alright, we could just share the bed. That could be your side and this will be mine." When his eyebrow rose in response, she added, "I'm fine with that." When he gave her a brief nod, her cheeks went warm. _Oh my god I'll be sharing a bed with Vergil. _"S-so? Are we going to talk? That's what you said, right?"

"It will be meaningless. You're disappointed, if I recall."

It was irritating talking to him halfway across the cave, so she stood up and strode over, stopping just a minor fraction away from him. Maybe she had been too harsh...

"And you are also angry at me for what I've done to your friend."

"She dies in a few days, right?"

"Correct." Vergil said, "And it is best if she is here with her master. As you can see, he is the only one who truly cares for the creature."

"What about Nathan?"

"Ah, the so-called true love. Well...I expected nothing less from a human."

She frowned. "I think he was shocked, that's all. He'll come around. He loved her."

"So you are insinuating that perhaps we bring him here to see her whilst she is on her deathbed?"

"Yes. That's probably the least we can do."

"We owe the Phoenix no favors, Lucy." Vergil growled, clearly annoyed with the self-serving attitude she had adopted, "And what will happen if we reveal anything more to that human?"

"I don't know, but she's going to die in a couple of days. It's too sad."

"She is a deity and he is a human. The Phoenix has given up, so you should too. Abandon your preposterous ideas to reunite them." He muttered sourly under his breath.

"You seem against their relationship; what about your parents?"

"What about my father and my mother?"

"Your father was Sparda, and your mother was human. They never gave up or-or..."

"Yes, and because they never 'gave up', demons hunted down my brother and myself, and also my mother whom they tore to pieces – " When he stopped, Lucy looked at him a little worriedly. Maybe she'd taken this too far. Vergil didn't seem intent on finishing his sentence. Instead, he said, "Why do you do this?"

"Do what?"

"It's as though you enjoy baiting me."

Lucy let out a heavy sigh as she contemplated his words. She said, "Okay, sorry, I know you're in a terrible mood because Tubal-cain didn't promise you the toy you wanted right away, right?"

Suddenly, Vergil's hand darted out and he grasped her by the chin, lifting her face to his. "It slipped my mind that ill-mannered mouth of yours tends to run wild sometimes."

Her eyes widened as she felt her face growing red and warm all the way to her ears. _Oh god, I've missed him so much. I've missed his sinister way of talking to me. Argh! What's wrong with me? I'm sick in the mind!_ It occurred to her she had never had such a curious thought before but there it was. Most women wouldn't tolerate being spoken to like that by a man, partner or not. Most would've been repulsed and insulted. Not Lucy. Maybe this wasn't healthy. Another thought occurred to her that Vergil's icy words seemed to contain the essence of a double-edged sword. Glancing at his parted lips, she realized she wanted him to kiss her desperately. Knowing Vergil, he wouldn't do it. He blew hot and cold more often than she liked or wanted. So instead, she tried to shove him away but it was no use against his strength. He held onto her with a grip of steel. She swallowed down the lump in her throat as he let go of her following a few moments.

"Right," She started, "_Now_ are we going to talk about where you went after we - well..._you know_ \- and why you went hunting for a Phoenix?"

"Tubal-cain's messenger spoke to me that night. I left with urgency for that reason. I apologize I had not been able to stay to tell you or inform you where I was headed...but I didn't require you to needlessly dote on my well-being or prevent me from going, as you would have."

"Dante misses you."

He scoffed in response. "Dante wishes me to co-manage that dreadful business of his."

"Why not? It was good to see you two working together and Dante was happy that you were helping him."

Now he seemed irritated all over again at the mere notion. "Yes, I helped him for a week. It was generous, but I cannot offer assistance anymore."

"What will you do when he gives you the...the Kusnagi?"

"_Kusanagi_." Vergil corrected her.

"Kusanagi." She repeated after him, the word rolling off her tongue, "...What will happen?"

"I will train. Here, probably...under Tubal-cain's guidance, or I'll find my own way. Then I will go after Mundus."

"It sounds easy. Too easy, perhaps?"

"Yes, it does." He agreed, and finally, she turned from him, fists clenching. The cave went silent until she let out a light sniff. He narrowed his eyes in response. "Lucy."

"...What?" She croaked out.

Striding to her side slowly, he peered down at her tentatively to see that she was crying. With his thumb, he brushed away the wetness rolling down her cheeks gently as she stood still. "Are you shedding tears for me?"

"I...No, I'm not – I don't...I don't know. Maybe. I'm... I'm kind of scared."

"Of what? That I will not succeed? That Mundus will enslave me once again?"

She shook her head. "...No."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"You make promises and you don't keep them." Wrenching away from his hand, she hastily dabbed at her eyes and sniffed louder, but he took her by the chin and made her look up at him again. "What?"

He gazed intently at her tear-streamed face for a while, and she stared back at him, hiccuping and blinking blankly.

"_What?_" She said again, only for Vergil to lean down and his lips were over hers in an instant. It was so sudden she froze on the spot and when he pulled away, he was looking at her expectantly, his clear blue eyes gazing into her own. Lucy stared at him in response once more and when he leaned down and pressed his lips over hers a second time, she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and bringing their faces closer whilst his hands slid to her waist. He kissed her hungrily, lips attacking hers over and over again until she was moaning in his arms. Soon, he was trailing his lips to her jaw and neck where he realized one of his marks appeared to have healed and the rest were gradually becoming fainter and fainter. He released her then, frowning somewhat.

"What is it?" She breathed out, panting slightly.

"Your marks are fading."

"You were gone for more than week."

"I know. You need new ones."

"What?!" She tried to wriggle away from him but he kept a firm grip on her and he was nibbling on her skin in seconds. Lucy squirmed as his hair tickled her cheeks and he pulled her up against him firmly. When he bit down harder, she couldn't help but dig her fingers into his shoulders as she winced. "Ahhh, no..."

Finally, he pulled away from her nape to glance up at her, "No? You belong to me. What did you expect?" He murmured, before he kissed the new mark on her neck tenderly. He felt her hands relaxing on her shoulders before she gave him a lopsided smile in return. "What are you smiling about? You are still to be punished."

And the smile dropped. "What punishment?" She choked out in shock.

"I went to that dismal bar, and you were still there. I briefly recall you promising me that you would leave. Did it occur to you that you aren't able to fulfill promises, either?"

"Oh. That. W-w-well, I needed to find a new job before I quit that one..."

With that, she heard him emit a quiet sigh.

_Wow, looks like we're both hopeless in terms of keeping promises_, she thought to herself_._ The cave fell silent once more and Lucy glanced at him inquisitively. "...Vergil...?"

"Lucy." He said.

"...Yeah?"

"I would kill for you." He suddenly said, "I have killed. For you."

Lucy's breath lodged in her throat and she swallowed down. "Vergil," She said; he was watching her keenly now, and she added, "I'm not disappointed in you." He gave her a questioning look in response to her confession. "And I missed you."

Vergil was silent, although he did subject her to a somewhat long, testing look before he leaned forwards once more and captured her lips with his. His lips were gentle and inviting, making her want more and more as he nibbled on her lower lip. He was touching her a lot more than usual too, his hands moving from her hips to every inch of her body. His touch sent numerous chills down her spine, making her writhe and squirm in excitement and as though she was attempting to entice him.

_Maybe Vergil's missed me too. I missed this so much. God, I missed him so, so much; I missed everything about him_. _He drives me crazy but I think I'm in love with him._

Wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, their bodies pressed together as they kissed urgently and deeply and his hands wandered under her skirt and her panties. He promptly slipped his hands in between her legs. "You're wet." He murmured as she pulled away with a gasp; pressing his hand against her firmly, he dipped a finger against her folds, pressing into her purposely and eliciting another gasp once he found her sensitive spot. "Say it."

She was breathless as she clutched onto him helplessly, her knees about to buckle. "Say...what...?"

"You want me." He said silkily with his lips by her ear, as he slipped another finger into her intimate area, "I want to hear you say it."

A sharp gasp escaped her throat, "I want you."

"Good girl." He purred, and then he lifted her onto the table and after he freed himself of his pants, he settled himself between her, spreading her legs apart to receive him.


	26. Chapter 26

_"When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. __That's what the storm's all about."_

_..._

_..._

"Fools! You failed yet again!" boomed the statue of Mundus.

"Master, we are sorry..." The little demons before him cowered as usual, unable to meet his gaze.

It had been some while since he sent demons after Vergil. They had been defeated; he then sent more demons to scour the human world and discovered that Vergil had gone to find his brother and had stayed with him for a while. Mundus knew his lackeys were too afraid to approach the demon-killing twins, except from a small group he sent quite recently who also perished at the hands of Vergil's blade.

He needed his most brutal of servants to do the dirty job...

"Unchain the Typhon and bring him to me."

...

It was morning.

Indra knocked on the door politely and waited. A few moments later and it opened and Vergil stood before him. "Good morning, Vergil. I trust you slept well?" Indra said.

Vergil threw a quick glance over his shoulder; his mate could be seen sleeping face-down on the pillow, snoring loudly but contentedly with one leg and arm hanging off the mattress, her hair a wild mess. Not a very pretty sight, but oh well. "...Yes." He replied, after a moment of hesitation.

Indra followed the direction of his gaze and smiled lightly. "She must be very tired so we should let her rest. She can join us later. Are you hungry? My lord will have his servants prepare breakfast."

"There is no need."

"Very well. Shall we go see lord Tubal-cain right now?"

Vergil nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him. He'd return to the room later.

...

Lucy woke up to find herself a little sore downstairs. He'd been quite rough last night and she was covered all over in fresh hickeys and marks. She also woke up alone, which she supposed meant no awkward conversations, but it would've been nice to see him resting beside her for a change. She had the idea he purposely evaded such situations, and Lucy stretched on the bed, scratching her back and the side of her hip whilst yawning loudly and then she rolled over only to fall off the bed entirely and landed onto the cold, hard ground, the rest of the duvet getting entangled and tumbling over her head. She pulled it off her and gazed around herself tiredly; it was a little dark in the cave, now that all the candles had been snubbed over the course of the night.

"Vergil?" She said, glancing around. He had definitely gone somewhere. Pushing off the ground to stand, Lucy limped over to her pile of folded clothes and quickly began to redress before she left the sanctity of their quarters. "Where's the bathroom...?"

After a few times of getting lost, she finally ended up on the path that would lead her to Tubal-cain's forge and once she arrived at the great steel door, she pushed it open only to find it devoid of the blacksmith's presence. Only the Phoenix remained, hiding its head under its wing whilst balancing on its perch. Lucy looked around but it seemed Tubal-cain wasn't here so she walked up to the great bird and stopped before it. Sensing her presence, the Phoenix unraveled its wings and glanced at her.

"Hey Pheebs." She said, a little warily, "Um...Can I still call you that?"

"Hello Lucy." said the Phoenix, "Yes, of course you can. What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd come see you. Are you okay?" She noticed that its usual bright ruby red feathers seemed a little pale and flat and dull and the Phoenix herself seemed lethargic.

"Burning Day draws near. I can feel it."

"Don't talk like that." She said, "Would you feel better if we found Nathan for you?"

The Phoenix turned away. "...No." She said, after a while, "I don't want to see him. Not like this."

"He'll accept you for everything that you are. He loves you."

"No. I'm not sure anymore. I made a mistake and returned home when I was weak and unable to contain my power. I revealed myself to him. I will never forget the look on his face."

"But he was just shocked. We probably just need to let him calm down for a bit then explain to him."

"Lucy, thank you for trying to make me feel better, I appreciate it, but all I want to do is forget him and to forget what happened. In fact, I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Do you think you have a future with the Son of Sparda?"

Lucy did a double-take. "H-huh? Why are you asking me this?"

"Because I know what he is trying to achieve. He wants to defeat Mundus once and for all."

"Oh. Um...well...Yeah, I know that."

"What if you never see him again?"

"...He'll succeed."

"What if he doesn't?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"So you're still willing to love him and to support him even if he might die?"

"Don't say that! What else am I supposed to do? If I try to stop him, he won't listen to me and he'll just go through with it anyway. That's what he's like."

"...So what will you do, if he never comes back...if you found out he was dead? Will you mourn him, will you grieve for him? And after that, will you find that you have slowly forgotten him, that you feel nothing and _absolutely nothing_, and move on? Will you love somebody else? Or will you continue to be faithful and loyal to him even though he is a haze in your memories, and will you condemn yourself to solitude for the rest of your life?"

At the barrage of questions, Lucy found her mind spinning. "Um, no, I can't possibly – people will tell me to move on, yes – but I have faith in Vergil, he won't – "

"Liar." said the Phoenix, which made Lucy blink at her in astonishment, "Humans will always move on in the end. It's in their nature. He'll forget me. I know he will. This isn't like those movies I watched on the TV. It won't last."

There was a silence.

The bird hung her head then. "...I am sorry, Lucy. Forgive me."

"It's okay, Pheebs. I know you're upset." Lucy mumbled, as the Phoenix hid herself under her wings again, unwilling to talk anymore; she had the feeling the Phoenix wanted to be alone and so she hurriedly left the forge, to find Vergil.

After speaking to Pheebs, she suddenly felt the need to find him, to see him, to touch him, grab his arm or something, maybe hold his hand, if he allowed her to (he probably wouldn't). Just to let her know he truly was there with her. She found the half-devil after walking through several winding paths, coming across a beautiful Japanese-themed garden in progress, and she finally arrived at an indoor fighting arena where he was locked in battle with Indra. It seemed like a somewhat friendly spar, but they were still fighting rather viciously.

"Vergil!" She cried, stopping at the sidelines. He spotted her and both men lowered their weapons and ceased their fight.

"Hello, Miss Lucy." Indra greeted her politely, as Vergil abruptly made his way to her side.

"Hi Indra." She replied. As Vergil approached her, she said, "I'm so glad I found you. Sorry to interrupt."

"You weren't interrupting."

"Were you training with Mr Indra?"

He nodded.

And the conversation seemed to have ended there. A brief silence spawned as they stood around each other, although the silence was relatively comforting as Vergil quietly studied her until he suddenly reached over and she blinked as his hand crept closer and closer before he brushed away at something on her head and the slightest movement from him was enough to make her heart pound and her face flush. His hand gently and lightly skimmed over the side of her cheek as though he'd wanted to touch her and she daren't think it was intentional in a discreet way, and when he pulled away, she saw that he was holding a little red feather.

"Hm? How did that get on me?"

"Did you visit the Phoenix?"

"Yeah."

"The creature is dying. It will begin to shed feathers." Vergil handed her the red feather and she held it daintily in her hands.

"...Is there really nothing we can do for her?"

"No."

Lucy sighed, then she reached over and placed the feather atop his head.

"What are you doing." He snapped, eyebrows furrowing immediately.

"I think it suits you better, ehehe..."

"Foolishness..." Vergil grunted as he plucked it off himself.

Lucy tried to grab it, stretching her arms; she didn't realize how tall he was compared to her and he found himself smirking as she grabbed and flailed for it.

"Ahem." A voice behind them said. Lucy spun round whilst Vergil glanced over, to see Indra who had coughed faintly into his fist. They had completely forgotten about him! "Apologies for interrupting, but...Miss Lucy, Lord Tubal-cain understands that you have occasionally faced great danger so he has a gift for you - " From his robe, he pulled out a sword and handed it to her. It was a medium-length sword, not as long as Yamato, and Lucy accepted it and inspected the beautiful black hilt and scabbard.

"This is for me?"

"Yes. It is a Wakizashi for your protection. No doubt, you will find it useful."

"Thanks!" Lucy replied; she unsheathed the sword clumsily and turned the blade around. "Awesome!"

Vergil watched; she was holding it the wrong way and she was swinging it around so casually and so gracelessly. It annoyed him somewhat. Perhaps he'd teach her how to use it properly later? As though catching on, Indra grinned at him and said, "Now if you excuse me..." Indra bowed before slinking away and out of sight.

She whirled round to Vergil with the sword high in the air. "Look Vergil, I got a sword! This is so cool!"

Vergil said nothing to that but watched the direction where Indra disappeared, as though waiting for him to come back. He never did.

Lucy added, "Hey, wanna go out and get some fresh air? I saw a garden nearby."

"As you wish." Vergil said, yet he was already walking ahead of her.

"Hey, wait up!" She rushed after him with the blade in her grasp, trying to keep him with his great, long strides. Since his coat was still being mended by Tubal-cain, he was left in his sleeveless vest and she could see the light bulge of his muscles. As she stared at those arms that occasionally embraced her, she remembered the conversation she'd had with the Phoenix and she found herself desperately wanting to hold his hand. Or touch him, at least. Lucy nervously reached for him and as though sensing what she was going to do, he whipped round.

"What is it?"

She pulled back, averting her gaze from him immediately to look at an oblong rock on the ground near her feet. "What? Nuthin'..."

She was a terrible liar and she knew it. Watching her with half-lidded eyes, he ushered her beside him and planted a firm hand on her back, then guided her towards the direction of the garden she had mentioned. She looked up at him questioningly, then grinned to herself.

Once they arrived, they climbed up some rocky steps and once they had left the caves entirely, they found themselves outside and in fresh air. He let go of her and she glanced around happily; it was a rather large area where various types of fauna basked proudly in the sunlight. They were surrounded by multicolored blooms and a large willow in the middle with tawny-colored leaves instead of the usual green. There was also a little man-made pond containing some fish swimming inside. The garden granted them a surrounding view of the summit, overlooking the monastery and some dangerous-looking cliffs. He made a mental note not to let her leave his sight or go wandering ahead.

"This is nice." He heard Lucy muttering to herself as he moved to sit cross-legged on a grassy patch of the garden, eyes closed. Lucy had plucked a small reed from the pond side and was dabbing at the water's surface where she saw a few koi carp lurking inside, their bright colors shining amongst the murkiness. He heard her returning to his side after a while, plopping herself down to sit beside him and he opened his eyes slowly. She had her phone out, tapping on the screen. "Ugh...I can't get any signal..."

He plucked the phone out of her hands and finding the 'off' button, he switched the device to a close and handed it back to her, frowning. "We have three days here. You are not spending it looking at that."

"Well, there's really nothing else to do here." She said with a huff, until she spotted a flower close by and reached out for it, pulling off one of its leaves gently. "Ohh, wait."

"What?"

Sitting up properly, she grinned at him, then at the small, oval-shaped leaf in her hands. "It's a Figus. Watch this."

He looked at her questioningly, as she put the leaf between her lips and it took her several tries until she got it right, to Vergil it looked like she was merely spitting and dabbing at a leaf with her mouth, but soon, she finally placed the leaf properly and a melody began playing. Vergil watched as the sound seemed to be coming from the leaf. It was a sad tune, one he didn't think he was familiar with, and it carried itself all the way around the mountainside and cliffs. It also seemed to go on and on and on, and once she had finished playing, she put the leaf down and sighed.

"Playing a meager leaf like a flute. Impressive." He muttered.

"My mom taught me. We used to go on picnics together all the time." Lucy said, "She showed me to pick leaves, like this one – " She held up the green leaf in hands, "She taught me as much as she could before she passed away."

"You have fond memories of your mother." He remarked, "And your father?"

Her expression dampened slightly. "My father passed away after her."

"I presume that's when you moved into the convent?"

She nodded. "I was an orphan, and Father Johnstone came with a social worker one day to my home and took me to St Orsola's."

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen, I think."

Glancing at the leaf in her hands, he then said, "Any other hidden talents you've yet to demonstrate?"

She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. He probably was. "I can tie cherry stems with my tongue?" She said, shrugging.

His gaze then wandered to the wakizashi which she'd placed by her side. He wasn't going to spend the day doing nothing, and he didn't think he would let her, either. It felt like wasted time. "Pick up your sword."

"Huh? Why?" Lucy said, before her lips ultimately flattened into a grin. "Are you going to teach me some techniques?"

"Since Tubal-cain has bestowed you with such an interesting and extravagant gift, then you should learn how to use it properly and put it to good use. Since we have three days, I can teach you the basics, yes."

"Ooh, thanks! This is so exciting!" She gushed, and immediately an image of Vergil and herself standing beside each other in cool poses with their swords at the ready made her chuckle and giggle bashfully with glee. _We'll be like heroes! But first I need to get really good..._ Then another thought swarmed into mind: _But wait! What if I'm no good? what if I can't learn how to use it properly? I'll be such a failure...and what if Vergil is super-scary as a teacher? I'd bet he'd be harsh. Disciplined. Ooooh this is so scary but so awesome at the same time! Vergil'll be an awesome teacher, he'll teach me all sorts of awesome stuff and - oh god I gotta find a different word than 'awesome' all the time..._

His eye twitched in response to her enthusiasm and inwardly wondered if she'd end up stabbing herself by accident if she wasn't careful. No, no way...under his guidance and watchful eye, he would never let that happen. "Now stand up, pick up your blade and show me how you think you would hold it." As requested, she stood up and so did Vergil; they stood opposite each other and she glanced at him, held up the blade with her right hand and he shook his head. "Use both hands. Like this." Using the practice sword, he showed her how he usually held Yamato.

Suddenly, she got nervous. The fact that Vergil was teaching her finally sunk in.

"How you hold your sword will determine your basic performance in battle. Relax your hands a little. You are too tense."

"Um... like this?" She tried to copy his hands but something still didn't feel right. Vergil observed as she adjusted her hands, but then lowered his sword and walked over to stand behind her. "What are you - " She started, trying to turn around but he took her shoulders, made her face the front and then his arms went around her and landed on her hands. She swallowed down as he adjusted her hands for her and then after he finished explaining how to hold the sword properly, he let go of her hands, stepping away. She immediately noticed the difference and the improvement.

"Like that." He finished, and her face went a little red.

"Thanks. This is really difficult."

"With proper training and time, it won't be. Now hold it up."

She slowly held the blade up, and this time he seemed satisfied. He reached over, took it off her, then handed it back to her. "Very good. Now show me again how to hold the blade, as I just showed you there."

Glancing at the blade, she tried to remember the way how he'd taught her just there and swallowed down; hands at a forty five degree angle...pinky and ring finger gripping most of the sword...base of sword resting on palm of rear hand...hands as far as apart as possible on the hilt... once she was done, he crossed his arms and gave her a nod. "You learn fast."

"Uh...I just remembered to be honest..."

"I will now teach you how to draw the blade." He figured if he'd teach her some things she could at least defend herself.

Lucy watched in fascination at his demonstration; she wondered who'd taught him how to fight like this. Did he have a mentor, or was he self-taught? If he did have a mentor, he wondered who that may have been. After all, what happened to Vergil after his mother got killed by demons? He'd never fully explored that topic, it was still very fuzzy and very gray. In fact, how did he even come across Yamato?

"Are you paying attention?"

"Huh what where who?" Lucy spluttered, and Vergil's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't have to say anything to make it clear. "S-sorry! I'll focus! I'll be good! Don't give up on me! You were trying to teach me how to draw the sword, right? Like this - whoops!" Her eyes went wide when the blade went spinning out of her hands and lodged itself fast into the trunk of the willow.

Shaking his head, he sighed inwardly as she hurried over to retrieve it. This was going to take longer than he thought...

...

A man sat on his knees in the middle of a circular platform that was raised high into the air, grunting and thrusting his hips into a rotting human carcass before pulling off the head to bite at the tendrils ravenously. Hellfire burned beneath, and the constant howl of tortured souls and demons could be heard echoing within his cell. He was chained by the wrists, ankles, around the chest, waist and neck and he heard the door to his cell opening; Mundus' lackeys prowled in and stopped a distance away.

The man finally swerved his soulless gaze from his meal to the demons, pulled himself out of the rest of the carcass and swallowed down. Strings of flesh dripped from the corners of his mouth and his chin. The demons lingered under his steely, intense gaze until his lips pulled back to reveal bloodstained fangs and he hissed out, "...What do you want?"

"Master wishes to see you, Typhon."

"I'm busy."

"Busy doing what? Fucking and eating a corpse? You're the worst." sneered one of the demons.

Typhon glared at him. He would be the first to die.

"Master wishes to see you right now." said another demon, averting his eyes from the defiled corpse on the ground.

Typhon's blood-red eyes narrowed dangerously. "_Then tell him I'm busy_."

The demons hissed and screeched as they surrounded him, pulling and tugging at his chains which caused him to snarl angrily and struggle violently. Rising to stand, he dropped his food and lunged at them, grabbing one unlucky demon and taking a huge chunk out of its body with his jaws before throwing the lifeless body down into the fiery pit below. It took them a while to get him to obey, and two more unlucky demons who got too close to him became half-bitten meals. He suddenly stopped in his rampage, throwing another demon to the side as his hungry eyes landed on the fleshy corpse that was being waved around in the air. The demon holding it ultimately managed to lure him out of the cell and towards Mundus' throne where he was thrown upon the giant statue's feet.

"Typhon." said the expressionless statue of Mundus.

"Mundus." Typhon rasped, lifting himself off one knee to stand. He made a grab for the human corpse for his taking but it was snatched away, causing him to growl.

"I trust you not to fail me."

Typhon turned to the statue angrily. "What do you want now?"

"Vergil. Find him."

Upon the mentioning of the name, Typhon cocked a brow. "The Son of Sparda." His lips pulled back into a wide, devilish smirk, "The one who escaped... You want me to _find_ him and not _kill_ him? What if I can't control myself? What if...just a slip of my finger..."

"No. Typhon. You will obey my command and bring him to me."

"Hmph. What will be my reward for such a task?"

"Your freedom." said Mundus, "What is your answer?"

The Typhon did not think twice about the opportunity to be released into the human world again.

* * *

**A/N**

Wow some of the things I come up with is absolutely fecking disgusting. I have really no idea what that was. So...I have taken Devil May Cry, where handsome half devil twins and beautiful ladies fight demons and i turn it into something like this...i didn't realize how dark this story could be at some times. For your info - Typhon was the father of most greek monsters, Hydra, chimera, Nemean lion etc etc...haha first Circe now Typhon. Here he is some kind of..._I don't know_...some really disgusting creature from the lowest pits of hell. But I'm seeing a theme of greek names here lol. Aside from that, these chapters are flying by! Soon I'll be at 30 oh mah gash! Uh... thanks for the reviews and hoped you enjoyed(?).


	27. Chapter 27

Hi hi, thanks for the reviews everyone. In response to Charitina for pointing out as to why Vergil and Lucy's relationship feels as though there has been zilch progress and seems so one-sided even though we're at 26 chapters and more...hmm honestly all I can say is that I actually had a bit of a head scratcher moment there considering I thought Vergil had been pretty subtle in showing some form of affection for Lucy especially when he lets slip some stuff out or does/shows little gestures or does things exclusively for her. however, I understand your growing frustration, and also to those who might be feeling the same.

Now, before I make it sound like I am insanely defending my story - believe me I'm not I mean this story is so flipping long, I'm like geez am I done yet apparently not it seems – anyway I have made Vergil an extremely cold character; he's an anti-hero in respect and he has does some things which makes him look like a knight in shining armor, and on the other hand he's also done some things that has made him look like the bad guy. He will not change in terms of that. He has his motives in his fic and it's clear it is to defeat mundus, not helping Dante or Lucy for all that matters. BUT (and emphasis on the but) without giving too much away about the direction I want this fic to go, you have made a good point especially if you are feeling frustrated with their progress so I will make sure Vergil shows a bit more care over Lucy in the future no matter how big or small. Thanks for sticking with this fic anyway even if it drives you bonkers.

* * *

_"You know the part in scary movies when somebody does something really stupid, and everybody hates them for it? This is it."_

_..._

_..._

The Typhon arrived at the human world through a portal and found himself in some sandy, dusty town. The sun was high in the sky, bright and hot. A half-diner, half-gas station a distance away was his destination, considering he couldn't see any other buildings closeby. There were also a few motorbikes parked next to another, which made him grin. He once had a bike like those ones. He didn't know what happened to it after he was recalled to hell.

Glancing down at himself, he also realized Mundus had cast him into the human world naked as a newborn babe.

"Oh for fuck's sake." He growled as he stared; his skin was tan and tatty, covered in soot, burn marks, dried blood and muck.

Without further delay, he marched towards the direction of the gas station/diner and all patrons glanced up as soon as the doors swung open and there stood a tall, bulky and naked, dirty man with bulging muscles and long and thick, unruly black hair and scruffy beard. Everyone stopped in their endeavors immediately and the entire place fell silent until the naked man took one step in and the ground underneath seemed to have trembled under his weight; he scanned the humans from left to the right and they gawked at him in return. His hair was so thick it covered his eyes.

"Don't look, Josie." muttered a female who was sitting near the back with a little girl, shielding the girl's eyes with her hand.

"Mommy, why is he naked? I can see his ding-dong." squealed the daughter, to her absolute horror.

Typhon stopped in the middle of the diner before a human finally addressed him.

"Hey buddy," It was a bald, bulky man in aviator sunglasses with sprawling tattoos all over his arms, dressed in tattered leathers and ripped pants. He was sitting at the counter with a small group of humans dressed similarly to him - maybe they were the owners of the bikes parked outside, "Not sure whatever hole you crawled out of, but around these parts, there's something called 'clothes'." He finished with a snigger and the rest of his vile human friends joined in, tittering.

The Typhon turned to him slowly and the diner suddenly seemed to have gone even quieter than it could've been. Even the radio blasting out tinny music seemed to have faded into the background. All eyes on him, the Typhon approached the man and towered over him completely, his shadow encasing his form.

The human suddenly seemed to have lost some nerve and before he could move, Typhon's arm shot out and he grabbed his fat greasy chin, hard. "H-hey! W-what the fuck do you think you're d-doing?!"

Typhon's mouth opened and an impossibly large, pointed tongue came slithering out and licked his top lip and fangs, causing the man to squeal in terror. "MMmmm. Such fresh and warm, tasty, delicious blood. It's nasty little humans like you with your nasty little, insolent mouths that taste the best." Squeezing on his jaw, the Typhon began to pull and -

The diner immediately fell into an uproar as the Typhon dropped the man who was now dead with his jaw torn off. The rest of the little humans began to pour out, shouting and yelling in panic. The Typhon let them run, with a handful of flesh and teeth which he squeezed into a bloody pulp under his giant fist. A massive grin appeared on his face as he threw his head back, cackling with throaty laughter.

"Fuck, I missed this..." Typhon muttered as he reached for a cigarette resting on a carton which a patron left behind. He picked the little stick up, wedging it between his lips before inhaling a deep drag and puffing out a large whiff of foul smoke.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a waitress cowering underneath a table who was attempting to use the phone which she'd pulled off the table and to the floor.

The grin widening, the Typhon approached her and she yelped in horror as soon as he crushed the phone to pieces with a stomp of his foot. She dropped the receiver and scrambled away, screaming. "P-p-please don't hurt me!" She shrieked, as he cocked his head to get a better look at her.

She was a pretty young thing, very clean and shiny, with a large bust and long legs. He liked what he saw immediately. "You're coming with me." He snarled, grabbing her by the waist and lifting her over his shoulder.

She screamed, kicking and flailing her wrists helplessly. "Nooo! Let go of me! Help!"

He finished the cigarette, and made his way out of the diner where suddenly vehicles came to a screeching halt and he was surrounded. More humans came piling out of the cars with handguns aimed at him, taking cover behind open doors. "Freeze! Put your arms in the air!"

The Typhon stood, still with the screaming girl beating and wailing blows on his back which he did not even feel. He stared at the policemen one by one, then the Typhon lifted the girl off, rendered her unconscious with a blow to the back of the neck and she dropped on the ground. At the same time, one of the policemen lost his nerve and squeezed the trigger - the bullet came whizzing out and the Typhon caught it using his fingers without even flinching. The humans' jaws dropped.

"I wasn't going to hurt you but it seems you've left me no choice." Typhon snarled.

A few minutes later and all policemen were on the ground, dead and their cars smashed. The Typhon stood amongst the slaughter, then proceeded to step over their mangled bodies and returned to the diner and rolled over the human he'd killed before. He needed the clothes. He carefully took the garments off the dead man and dressed himself. They were not a perfect fit but at least he would not draw attention to himself. He found some cash and a packet of cigarettes in the pants and lit one, taking a deep drag.

Donning the pair of aviator glasses, Typhon picked up the dead body under one arm, left the diner and picked up the unconscious girl off the ground under his other arm. Looking up to the sky, the material of the jacket began to tug and tear and suddenly, two large leathery black wings burst out from his back. They were large and thin, flapping powerfully as he rose off the ground, disappearing into the clouds with his victims.

After he'd had his fill, he would go after Vergil and his mate.

...

Lucy was busy practicing drawing and swinging her sword whilst Vergil watched and corrected her when Indra arrived to take them to see the Phoenix. She hadn't thought of a name for her blade but decided it should have a proper Japanese name like how Vergil's blade was called Yamato.

"You seem to be handling the wakizashi very well, Miss Lucy." Indra commented, and she nodded.

"Of course, Vergil's teaching me." She replied with a small smile whilst Vergil's face betrayed no emotion.

Indra glanced over to see some bamboo shoots which she'd been practicing on, they had been cut into halves, a little sloppily, but she still was a beginner. "Perhaps you ought to use your sword against an opponent."

She seemed to bristle at the idea. "...W-well..."

"She needs more practice and she has weak constitution." Vergil replied.

"Yep." Lucy agreed. _As much as I think swords are awesome and wielding one is equally awesome, I wonder if I could actually use it against someone..._

"Very well. Shall we go see the Phoenix?" Indra said.

"Sure. Lead the way."

It was finally Burning Day and the Phoenix was looking very sickly when they arrived at the forge with Indra by their side.

"Ah...witnesses..." The bird said in a hoarse voice. Turning to Tubal-cain, she said, "Have you not shamed me enough? What is the difference between this and a public execution?"

"I am sorry, Phoenix." Tubal-cain said, "But they're not here to watch you die."

The Phoenix chuckled in spite of herself. "My impending death has become entertainment..."

Lucy walked up to the bird who was now resting on a perch. Tubal-cain decided a cage would not be necessary since there wasn't anywhere else she could go anyway. "Pheebs?" She said quietly.

"Lucy..." The Phoenix stared at her with it's emerald green eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wish there was more I could have done for you."

"You've already done as much as you can...You were perhaps the only human who showed me great kindness..."

"That's not true. The waitresses at the bar all loved you too."

She chuckled wryly as Lucy nervously reached for her. Watching her curiously, the Phoenix lowered its head to her level and she realized just how large the bird actually was; her head was the size of a small car. Lucy could only awkwardly pet her beak. She was roasting to touch.

"Stand back now...I can feel it..."

Lucy let go of her and returned to Vergil's side as the Phoenix looked at Tubal-cain; he looked somewhat saddened as well, and he stroked her on the head affectionately until she burst into flames with an ear-splitting shriek. Lucy watched with a heavy heart. When there was nothing in her place except gray ashes and flames, Tubal-cain reached over and dug two hands into the ash pile and fished something out – it was a little red baby bird.

"Ahhh, coo-coo-coo-coo..." He made gurgling noises, using a finger to stroke its head and fling some hot ashes off it. The baby bird responded and emitted a shrill chirrup, glancing at him with eyes that were barely able to open.

"...Is she...?" Lucy croaked out, and the giant nodded. "Will she remember who she was?"

He shook his head. "I'll take better care of her this time. No more cages." It squawked and rasped in his hands as he carried it into a nest atop a fireplace and placed it inside where it was warm and cosy. Lucy couldn't see the baby Phoenix anymore. With a sigh, Tubal-cain turned to them and said, "It's over. As promised, I have mended and repaired your weapons."

He returned Yamato and his coat to him; Vergil's coat was back to normal and his blade appeared in great shape, which pleased him more than anything else.

"And I have Kusanagi for you." Tubal-cain added; Vergil waited as he went over to his weapon rack filled with exquisite swords – he did not know which one it could be – and Tubal-cain grabbed a dirty, rusted, shabby Japanese-style blade off the rack and tossed it at him along with its dirty scabbard. Vergil caught it as they shrunk to his size.

"This is Kusanagi?"

Tubal-cain nodded. "Kusanagi is no ordinary blade. It is the most powerful demon slaying blade there is. Strong enough to kill any kind of demon, even a demon king... Even myself, if I am not careful."

"So why is it here? Why forge such a weapon if no-one wields it?"

"It was for Sparda, but your father said he didn't need to wield such power. After all, when is power too much or too little? I've seen many driven to madness by their attempts to become stronger and stronger but their lust is never filled. Your father was content receiving the Force Edge. So he had it sealed until it would be needed...to be fair, your father had hoped it would never be used."

Vergil glanced at the rusty, dirty blade in his hand. "What does it require to be unsealed?"

"It needs Rebellion and Yamato." He said, "When I crafted Rebellion, I hid away a scroll inside its blade. I also hid one inside Yamato. In order to awaken Kusanagi, you need these scriptures, which contain an incantation that will awaken Kusanagi's power. They are kept hidden respectively inside your own blade and Dante's. Once you have these both, then I am able to unseal its power."

Lucy felt a chill run down her spine as she whipped her head to Vergil, searching his face for his expression.

"You want me to destroy my sword?" As usual, he was calm. "And my brother's?"

It took a long time for him to reply, but Tubal-cain finally uttered, "...In the quest for more power...then yes." Even Tubal-cain himself sounded reluctant so say those words.

"...This is the truth?"

He nodded.

"Why were they sealed inside my father's namesakes?"

"Because Sparda saw no other guardian fit to keep it safe except from his own sons."

"Dante will not hand me his sword willingly to be broken." Vergil said, "...And will you be able to fix the swords if I accomplish this?"

"Breaking them in the first instance will be tremendously difficult... and Yamato and Rebellion will never be the same ever again."

"You have doubts about your ability."

"Of course! Rebellion and Yamato required your father's blood! Is he still around? No! And once a sword is broken and required to be fixed, of course it will not be the same! You may as well have a new weapon."

Lucy was beginning to panic as the conversation continued. Turning to Vergil, she grabbed his arm. "Vergil, you can't."

When he said nothing, she was surprised.

"...Are you actually thinking about doing this? Don't! You can't do this to Dante!" Glancing at Tubal-cain, she said, "We don't need this, we can find another way to defeat Mundus!"

"You can seal him away, again and again and again and again, but you will never be able to _kill _the demon king." Tubal-cain muttered. "...What you do from here is out of my jurisdiction. Time is of the essence, Son of Sparda. I await your next course of action."

"Vergil?" She said; turning to him, she realized he'd gone. "Vergil!" He must've teleported, to Dante's shop, no doubt. "Mr Tubal-cain?"

"Yes, Miss Lucy?"

"Can you find a way to take me to Dante's shop?"

Tubal-cain chuckled. "Of course. Indra?"

Indra walked up and stopped beside Lucy and bowed to the giant. "Yes, my lord?"

"Take Miss Lucy to Dante's shop. Be quick about it."

"Yes, my lord. Miss Lucy, please come with me..."

...

"_Breaking news; a murder investigation has been launched after the citizens of Gas Town were terrorized this afternoon by an unidentified male responsible for the brutal murder of one local and five deputies... Police were called to look for a man who is described as being six foot tall, with long black hair... The man is reported to be highly dangerous and not to be approached – _"

The doors to Devil May Cry suddenly opened; Dante was lounging on his sofa with some popcorn until he saw Vergil at the doors. "Hey, Verge!" He greeted him warmly, "You're back!"

"Dante."

Uh-oh. His senses tingling more than ever, Dante threw a glance slowly to Vergil's direction whose gaze had wandered to Rebellion that was fixed to the wall behind his desk. "...Vergie...What's the matter, bro...?"

"I have discovered a way to defeat Mundus." Vergil said quietly.

"Really? Well, that's good to hear. Where's Luce?"

His brother took one step closer, shaking his head. "...Aren't you curious in the slightest?"

"About...how to defeat Mundus, right? Fire away."

"In order to defeat Mundus, I require your sword."

He sprang up in his seat immediately. "What?" There was a slilence. Then, he started laughing. "You need Rebellion?! Alright, I'll let you borrow – "

"No. Not borrowing. However, I'm not low enough to relinquish you of your sword with sheer, brute force...therefore...we shall have a duel. It shall be fair."

There was another long silence.

Dante scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Duel? Geez, Verge, you're...I mean, why are you...why are we gonna...If I win then – "

"I won't take your sword."

"And if I lose?"

"Then Rebellion is mine."

"Why do you need it?" He barked, "Actually, you know what? You don't need to answer that for me. I remember all those years ago, when you went after my half of the Amulet. This is no difference."

"I challenge you to a duel, brother. Do you accept? Or are you afraid that you will lose to me?" Vergil sneered at him.

"Like hell I am!" Dante switched off the TV by jamming his fist over the remote control and grabbed his red coat, stuffing his arms through the sleeves. He then grabbed Rebellion and Ebony and Ivory off his desk, inspecting them briefly. "Let's go!"

...

By the time Lucy arrived at a street near the shop with Indra beside her, it was night and it was beginning to rain; she raced to the shop and flung open the doors only to see it empty.

"We're too late!" She exclaimed angrily, whilst Indra glanced around and marveled the shop's interior.

He was inspecting a particular devil arm curiously before turning to her, "Miss Lucy, have you any idea where they might be?"

She tried to think about potential places. Where would Vergil challenge Dante for his sword? She didn't think Vergil would barge into the shop and pry Rebellion off Dante's hands. That was unlikely of Vergil to do such a thing. It was no different than a robbery, so Vergil must've challenged him to a battle of some sort. Lucy thought harder then ultimately remembered that Dante had told her about the Temen-ni-gru. If she remembered correctly, some of the remnants of the tower were still standing in the city somewhere... That seemed like a good place to start considering Vergil once challenged Dante there and took his half of the Perfect Amulet.

"Geez, this sounds like something that belongs in a movie." She mumbled to herself.

"Miss Lucy?" Indra said, bursting her out of her thoughts.

"Mr Indra, can you take me to the Temen-ni-gru? Do you know where that is?"

"I can try." Indra replied; together, he teleported them to the outskirts where a massive and ominous dark tower lay in crumbling ruins except from the apex that rose high from the ground. It was supported by the remainder of the derelict tower and thick moss and shrubbery although it was now leaning to one side slightly. It was now surrounded by a forest full of overgrown trees, safe and far away from the city. The weather was getting worse, the thunder and lightning booming overhead whilst the downpour worsened.

A flash of searing white lightning illuminated two figures atop the tower, engrossed in battle – Dante and Vergil.

"Indra, take me up there right now!" She exclaimed, and Indra nodded and he teleported them to the top of the tower. "Thanks Indra, I really owe you for this." Lucy murmured once her feet landed on the ground; the dragon merely smiled aloofly at her and watched as she dashed towards the twins from the sidelines. "Stop it! Stop fighting!"

The twins did not stop immediately, leaping backwards to circle each other with Dante closest to her whilst Vergil remained far away. "Luce! What are you doing here?" The younger twin seemed surprised to see her whilst Vergil merely frowned at her presence. It seemed they've been fighting for some time since Dante was bleeding from the chest although Vergil appeared immaculate and unharmed. However, both twins were damp and drenched with rain; if it was not for their clothes and weapons she probably wouldn't be able to determine who was who considering their hair were now wet and flopping over their eyes.

"I came to stop – " She hesitated, and over the pouring rain, she yelled, "I came to stop Vergil from destroying Rebellion!"

The older twin heard and held Yamato at her direction. "What are you doing?!"

She walked towards to the older twin whilst Dante blinked at her in astonishment. She shook her head slowly. "Vergil, there has to be another way that doesn't require you to destroy your own sword and Dante's."

"I will utilize whatever means necessary to destroy Mundus, even if there are sacrifices." Vergil hissed, his gloved fist curling. She could see he was wearing the gloves she got him which were now wet and shiny under the rain. "Get out of the way."

"Or what? You'll cut me down?" She said, "What if Tubal-cain is lying to you?"

"Why should he? He has much reason to have Mundus dead, and he is father's confidante and weaponsmith. Have you any doubt over Hag?"

"No – "

"Then why do you doubt Tubal-cain's words?"

"Because I can't let you do this!"

Dante decided to step in. "Relax, Luce, I got this under control – don't want Vergil gettin' angry at ya now." He said, winking at her. He strolled past her, patting her on the shoulder and steering her to the side safely beside Indra. "I got this. Me and Verge...this is normal."

"He's going to destroy Yamato and Rebellion!"

"I won't let him."

Vergil seethed at them silently once Dante returned to the battle; readying their weapons, the twins charged at each other again. Lucy was unable to watch yet Indra stared at the spectacle with his arms crossed, unflinching.

"Have they always been this way, Miss Lucy?" Indra said, and she nodded as they both got pelted by rain and wind. She had to blink through her soggy eyelashes.

"...Unfortunately, yes."

"When will they stop?"

"They won't stop. Not unless one of them is killed, I-I think. T-that's what happened according to Dante last time, but..."

"Hmm, with Sparda's blood deep in their veins, that doesn't seem likely to happen." Indra remarked, "Who do you wish to win?"

_Oh god, don't ask me that question!_ She paled, whilst Indra merely smiled again.

"And I thought the disputes between my brothers and sisters were bloody, this is on a completely different level..." The dragon murmured.

They watched as Vergil and Dante came at each other again and again, clashing with their swords relentlessly. Sparks were sent flying; Yamato would counter Rebellion, Rebellion would counter Yamato. Both swords swung deftly in their grips and Lucy was too nervous to watch; she was too afraid to bear witness to the winner and the loser. How could Dante be so relaxed about this? How could Vergil go with the decision to sacrifice his own sword and his brother's just for power? How could he do this?

As they clashed again and again, Indra suddenly squinted his eyes at the sky.

"Hm? That's..." He started.

"What is it?" Lucy said, and suddenly, a black shadow came zooming at them with shocking speed and she was too slow to react.

"_Look out!_" was all she heard, before she was pushed roughly to the ground.

She yelped, glancing up only to see a pair of large black claws clamp down on the dragon who had taken Lucy's place, having pushed her to safety – and her eyes widened as it had happened in a split second –

Indra's head was ripped clean off his shoulders.

She screamed in horror, bringing both brothers to a stop.

The creature came at her again, having missed its target. It was so quick no-one was fast enough to react - and sharp talons pierced into her shoulders and suddenly she found herself being lifted into the air, her feet leaving the ground. "_VERGIL!_" She screamed.

"Lucy!" Vergil roared, but she was already gone.

* * *

**A/N**

Well, before you despise vergil even more, I personally don't think he really wants to go through with it either. He is just too blinded by power right now.

Gas Town = Homage to Mad Max fury Road because that movie was so friggin awesome.

And UWAGH I killed Indra off. NOOOO I quite liked Indra. He was innocent!


	28. Chapter 28

Hi everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. I hit a wall for this story for a while and was unsure what to do so I had to go on a break and forgot about this fic for a while, but now I think I know what to do and I've decided to go down this route. Thanks for the reviews, hope you will still continue to support me.

* * *

_"You know what this is like? It's like those old movies we both love. Now, I'm going to tell you my whole plan, and then I'm going to come up with some absurd and convoluted way to kill you, and you'll find an equally convoluted way to escape."_

_"Sounds good to me."_

_"Well, this ain't that kind of movie."_

_..._

_..._

Vergil was furious. How could he let this happen? This was almost identical to last time, when he let Arkham get the better of him. He felt anger bite at him at every single corner.

"Vergil? Hey, Verge?"

He had noticed Dante yelling at him as the rain poured and poured but didn't pay him any attention. The duel was forgotten, having been interrupted by the incident. Indra's mangled body was lying over the ground, blood seeping from all wounds, although his human form had withered away, returning to the shape of a large dragon. Tubal-cain would not be happy with this, knowing that his prized dragon was now dead. Pondering his next course of action, he turned round and said, "Dante."

"Yeah?"

"Take Indra's body and return to the shop."

He hadn't had the chance to meet Indra at all. "What? You want me to – how the hell am I going to carry that?" As if on cue, Indra's body became engulfed in a flash of bright light – and immediately vanished from view. Maybe Tubal-cain had recalled him? Both Vergil and Dante glanced away from the spot where the body had been, then turned to each other. "...Okay, that was weird. What about Lucy?"

"I'm going after her." Vergil said.

"I'll come too!"

"No, I don't need your assistance."

Dante huffed, "C'mon, Verge! You need me!"

"No, I don't." He said coldly. Delving a hand into his pocket, he pulled out a rusty bronze compass. It was wavering towards a particular direction unyieldingly. "I have this. It will take me to Lucy. And I can still detect her scent."

Without another word, he left the Temen-ni-gru, vanishing from Dante's sight. Dante glanced around himself awkwardly, then threw his gaze to where Indra's body had been. "Damn, now would be a really good time to have teleporting powers..."

...

Dante returned to Devil May Cry on his own and opened the doors to see two familiar women who were already inside, standing at his desk. They had been engrossed in conversation until he arrived. "Trish? Lady?" He blurted out, surprised at their sudden appearances. "What are you two doing here?"

"Never mind that! Didn't you see the news?" Lady snorted, uncrossing her arms to place them on her hips.

"What news?"

She rolled her eyes in response. "See, Trish? Wasn't I right? He's still as clueless as ever." And Trish merely smiled at the other woman aloofly. "It was a _demon _responsible for the murders, Dante." Lady added.

"No surprises there I suppose." He murmured, rubbing at his chin; turning to Trish, he said, "Heya, Trish. Haven't seen you for ages; what're you doing here? You miss me that much?"

The blond snickered as he strode up to her with a grin. "I thought I'd stop by."

"Just in time - Lucy's been taken away."

"Lucy?" The name was unfamiliar to Trish.

"Vergil's mate." Dante said, "He's not here at the moment 'cos he went after her. She got taken away by a demon."

"How the hell could you let this happen? What the hell were you and Vergil doing?" Lady barked angrily.

"Er..." The red twin scratched his head awkwardly. Lady seemed to have a good idea of what had happened though considering she didn't press them any further compared to usual. "That doesn't matter. We couldn't see the demon properly because it was too quick."

"And Vergil...your brother, I heard he escaped from hell." Trish said.

"Yeah, I'll fill you in on that later and if we're lucky, I'll introduce you." Dante said, remembering that Trish hadn't exactly met Vergil before. "Right, 'bout the demon – "

"It was the Typhon." Trish said, and both Lady and Dante turned to her. "I sensed his presence. He's one of Mundus' creations and servant. He was probably after your brother."

"I've never heard of him before."

"Your father defeated him and banished him to the deepest pits of hell a long time ago." Trish added.

"He did?"

"Yes. But Mundus freed him and now he's returned under his control. The last time he was unleashed here, he terrorized the earth for several years. He was virtually unstoppable."

"Do you have an idea where he might be?"

"I do. My best guess is he's returned to where he used to live. I'll take you, but he might not be there."

"It's better than nothing. Trish, lead the way."

Trish nodded and began to leave the shop, with Dante and Lady following after her. "Of course. Follow me."

...

Lucy woke up to the distorted sounds of tearing and wet, gurgling, sloppy noises. She opened her eyes groggily to see that her wrists and ankles were tied with thick rope and a man was sitting with his back to her, hunched on the floor. A half-eaten corpse lay in the corner and it dawned to her the strange man was feasting on it and she emitted a horrified gasp upon witnessing the sight. Beside her, the bloodstained body of a young girl lay beside her, with a hole in the middle of her throat.

The creature before her finally stopped its snacking and turned to her, his mouth full of flesh and snapped bone. Lucy stared wide-eyed as he took one step towards her, wiping his mouth clean and grinning. "You're awake."

"...Who are you?" Lucy croaked out; she noticed her entire body was wracked all over with severe pain and remembering that she'd been grabbed off the Temen-ni-gru and lifted into the air, she felt two puncture wounds on her shoulders.

He let out a short sigh. "They call me a lot of things. _Typhon_ is one of them."

"Did Mundus send you?"

"Yep."

"Let me go right now or – "

"Or what?" He hissed. Grabbing her chin with a bloodied hand, he lifted her face up to him and leveled his gaze with her and she could see his scarlet eyes, his pupil replaced with a black slit. His eyes were inhuman. This man was definitely a demon – what kind of demon he was, she was not so sure.

"O-or you'll regret it." Lucy finished, although she had stammered in process.

He let out a bark of laughter.

Lucy watched him, terrified.

"No. I don't think so." The Typhon then lifted her up and pinned her against the wall by the shoulders. Lucy began struggling and screaming as loudly as she could. "I do love the face of a terrified woman...so nice and tasty." He chuckled in response to Lucy's futile attempts to escape and to throw him off her, before he opened his mouth wide and Lucy stared as his long and pointed tongue slithered out, the end splitting apart to reveal a small set of fangs within, dripping with saliva.

Lucy's wide-eyed stare only served to make his grin grow wider as he began to transform; his human exterior withered away to reveal a creature with dark, leathery skin and the hands grabbing her had turned to claws. Before her, the creature resembled a large bat. Lucy tried one last time, wriggling furiously against his hold, until he stabbed his tongue into the middle of her throat, piercing it. She yelped, her body jerking and trembling in response.

Blood began seeping from the wound on her neck, trickling down her body and down the side of her arm, dripping off her fingertips and to the floor. When she was no longer moving, he tilted his head and retracted his tongue; her eyes were still open, staring at him, glassy and empty. He dropped her and she crumpled to the floor, unmoving.

Dead.

...

Vergil stopped when he noticed something strange about the compass.

It spun rapidly for a moment, the arrow a blur.

Then it went still.

And Lucy's scent was no more.

* * *

**A/N**

Errrr...so this is not the first time I've killed off an OC who is considered a major character. I have a knack for killing off characters, Games of Thrones-style and Lucy is no different; she was just killed immediately. Considering that her life revolves around demons and that she is just a simple human, she's evaded death and life-threatening scenarios quite a lot of times. Love it, hate it, just let me know!


	29. Chapter 29

Thanks for the reviews everyone. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

_"I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees_

_Asked the Lord above "Have mercy, now save poor Bob, if you please."_

_..._

_..._

Vergil entered the Typhon's lair – an abandoned mineshaft far from civilization – he saw the corpse of a young girl with a strange hole in the middle of her throat, along with a half-eaten corpse and then he saw another body lying on the cold, wet floor.

Lucy.

The moment he laid his eyes on her and all rationale, his calm disposition and demeanor – it vanished. All of it. Unable to control himself, his eyes grew wide and he was at her side in a split second and he grabbed her shoulder. "Lucy." He said hurriedly, turning her onto her back. Her eyes were open but she was unresponsive. There was a hole in her neck too, identical to the one which he'd seen on the body of the girl from earlier.

"She was such a tasty meal. Her blood was so fine, so fresh and succulent." said a voice closeby.

He had sensed a dangerous presence inside the mine and averted his gaze from Lucy's dead body to the demon; he was a tanned man dressed in black and aviator glasses, lounging on a dirty armchair whilst grinning at him, steepling his fingers together.

Vergil brandished Yamato immediately at his direction and lunged at him.

He was the calm one.

He was the collected one.

He was the cold one.

But he saw his mate's dead body and something snapped.

Since the death of his mother, he refused to let his emotions take over or get the better of him. After he was split up from Dante that fateful day, he remembered being frightened and now it was happening again. Even though he trained himself, swore to himself that he would never let this happen to him. Ever. Emotions were weakness. One could not let themselves be governed by emotions. If one let themselves become overrun by emotions, then that meant one was not in control. He had to be in control, and unfortunately, it came to his conclusion he was failing miserably.

He was acting on pure blind rage...pure hatred for the creature before him. Yamato plunged into the man's flesh and Vergil drove the sword as far as it could go. The man jerked slightly in his spot, but slowly lowered his hands and stood up with the blade sticking out of him, rising out of his chair. Vergil growled, as the man grabbed Yamato with one massive hand and clamped it around the steel. He saw blood pouring from the man's palm but he seemed to be unfazed and Vergil stared as the man pulled Yamato out and with a force like no other, sent the half-demon skidding backwards on his heels.

"You've ruined my new jacket, boy." snarled the man.

Less talking, more killing. He had to pay. He had to die. Vergil charged at the Typhon once more, Yamato at the ready. The Typhon dodged the attack easily and chuckled. Vergil came at him again, and the Typhon evaded. He went after him again and the same thing happened. And again. And again. Vergil stopped in his attempts, panting slightly. His previous fight with Dante meant he was not in good shape. And his thoughts were running amok. Adrenaline was pumping in his veins for all the wrong reasons. He had to calm down, but he found he could not. He could not stay calm at a moment like this. Lucy needed to be avenged.

"Are you really the Son of Sparda? You are so weak." The Typhon said, grinning wickedly.

Now would be a great time if he had more power. Attempting to Devil Trigger, he allowed his demon to rise and to surface. He cast a glance to the body of his mate who was lying at the side, covered in blood. Dead. This...this creature before him was responsible. The creature devoured her. His control withering, the Typhon watched as Vergil's form changed – however, it was not his usual reptilian form, but rather, a tall and lanky, dark figure replaced him and the Typon raised an eyebrow.

"_Nelo Angelo._ It's been a while." He commented.

The dark figure before him was a humanoid clad in dark armor with surging lights on its thighs and arms. A helmet with horns covered its face, although two glowing red eyes were prevalent. It swung its massive sword at his direction and maneuvered itself into a stance before charging at him, cape billowing in its wake. The Typhon dodged, but to his surprise, Nelo Angelo was quicker and the sword pierced into his side.

"Ugh!" The Typhon yelled, as Nelo Angelo pulled the sword out quickly and slashed at him again. The Typhon was too slow to dodge this attack too, and a thin vertical line ran down his chest and to his leg, blood spraying. "What - ?!"

Nelo Angelo gestured at him wordlessly, which caused Typhon to frown.

"Ungh. This is so bothersome."

Transforming into his demon form, the Typhon turned and leathery wings burst from his back. He flew into the air and to his annoyance, Nelo Angelo followed, leaping high into the air and grabbing one of his wings and throwing him back towards the direction of the ground. The Typhon grunted as he dropped to the ground and Nelo Angelo landed before him, the floor beneath them quaking.

"Oh. You want to play, do you?" Typhon growled as he rose to stand, "Let's play." Having abandoned his previously laidback manner, he lunged himself at Nelo Angelo with his claws at the ready. He was a large bat-like creature, with a reptilian tail and leathery wings. Nelo Angelo swung his sword at him again and Typhon caught it with his fangs clamped over the blade. "I never understood why Mundus decided to let you live and not kill you that day."

Nelo Angelo said nothing except twist his sword free and they came at each other again until –

"_Vergil!_"

Nelo Angelo stilled, responding to the name and lowered his sword, clutching at his head; the Typhon spotted the other Son of Sparda approaching along with two women. Trish included. "Tch. Now the whole peanut gallery is here." He grunted. This would mean trouble if he didn't get out of here quickly enough. Leaping away from Nelo Angelo, the Typhon quickly used this opportunity to fly into the air, bursting through the boarded ceiling and escaping through a tunnel.

"Oh no, you don't!" Lady yelled, before she went charging blindly after the Typhon with Trish following.

Meanwhile, Dante stopped at Lucy's side, his eyes growing wide and muscles going stiff. She was just lying there, eyes open but vacant, staring endlessly at the cavern ceiling. There was a hole in the middle of her throat similar to the one they saw on the other victim on their way into the mine. "...Damn." He murmured; he reached for her with her hand, but then –

"Don't touch her."

Dante looked up to see Vergil; Nelo Angelo had withered away and the older twin stood, panting slightly. He appeared to have exhausted himself, and he appeared to have calmed down.

"Verge," Dante murmured, retreating his hand which then curled into a tight fist, "...I...I'm sorry."

Vergil lowered himself to the ground and slid his fingertips over her eyelids, closing her eyes. Then he silently lifted her into his arms and Dante stepped backwards, allowing him space. He watched as he began to leave the cavern. "Vergil, where are you going?" Dante yelled after him, but he received no answer. "_Vergil_!"

Rushing up to him, Dante stopped in front of his brother.

"What do you want, Dante." Vergil said. His voice was low and cold, completely devoid of any form of emotion. He knew Vergil had always been cold but not to this extent.

"...What're you going to do?"

Throwing his glance to the unmoving girl in his arms, Vergil returned his gaze to his brother. "I will bury her." He murmured, "And then I will go after that creature, and Mundus."

...

Vergil stepped onto the porch with Lucy's body in his arms, but there didn't seem to be any sight of the old witch anywhere in her shack. It had only been a short while since he left the Typhon's lair with Lucy, but he felt that he was losing her the more time he wasted.

"Hag." He called, until he felt a presence behind him; turning round, he saw it was none other than Circe who was now gargantuan in size, towering above the entire shack itself. In fact, she was so large her head was the size of a small car.

"Oh, if it isn't Vergil." Circe hissed out dismissively, her forked tongue flicking out. "I thought it was an intruder and it turns out to be nothing but a pest. What do you want? Can't you see my master is not at home?"

He was not in the mood to fight anyone or anything. "Where is she?" He demanded. It occurred to him that maybe Circe was left on guard duty.

"Out. She won't be back for a couple of weeks. You missed her." came Circe's flat reply, before her beady red eyes landed on Lucy's unmoving form. "Oh my, what's this? What happened to the little human?"

Vergil slowly shifted his glance down to the dead girl but said nothing.

Circe shook her head slowly. "...My master could bring her back to life if she was here. I would tell you where she went, but I'm afraid she has completely left the realm altogether."

He adjusted his hold on Lucy's body; she was cold to touch and extremely light in his arms.

"Hm? You have nothing to say. Strange." Circe added, "If I was in my human form, I could help you. But that would take five hundred years and I don't think you can afford to wait that long."

With that, Circe slithered away further down the fields and out of sight.

But something Circe said made him reconsider.

_Lucy could be saved..._

Since Hag was not able to help him, he would find someone else.

...

He found a crossroad.

It was empty and devoid of humans, and settling down Lucy's cold body on the ground, he took out a small knife from his sleeve and sliced at his palm, letting some blood drop on the dirt before muttering a brief incantation. Nothing happened after and a cool breeze whipped past, but then he sensed a presence behind him and saw a young man dressed in a duster, shirt, tie and waistcoat, chewing bubblegum. He had messy blond hair and thick glasses.

"Hi." He said, with his hands in his pockets. "You called?"

"Are you the crossroads demon?" Vergil said.

He shrugged. "Yeah. I guess."

Eyes narrowing, Vergil turned to Lucy and then to the strange man. "I want you to bring her back to life."

There was a slight silence.

Then the blond sighed and ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Ugh, a resurrection...that's so tiresome." Vergil heard him muttering under his breath as he approached the blue devil, "You know...bringing someone back from the dead, that's just really selfish – "

When Vergil whipped out Yamato and placed it at his neck, the man held his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay! Sorry! Didn't meant to offend! I'll do it! Put that thing away!"

"Bring her back." Vergil snarled, "I don't care how."

"It won't be easy." said the crossroad demon, before he adjusted his glasses and snapped his fingers. A piece of parchment suddenly appeared in mid-air filled with handwriting and he peered inquisitively at the fine print. "Lucy Valentine. Twenty years old...mate of Vergil, Son of Sparda...killed by a demon, the Typhon." Turning to Vergil, he added, "If you want me to bring her back, it can be done. But there are consequences, and I expect something in return. Knowing that...are you willing to go through with this?"

"Yes." He said, without a moment of hesitation.

For Lucy, he would do anything.

* * *

**...**

"Where am I?"

Lucy clutched at her neck, which was intact, and glanced around herself; it was night and she was standing in a highway. There didn't seem to be anyone or any cars around and she also couldn't recall how she got here in the first place and why she was here.

"I was...I was taken by a demon." She muttered to herself. "He called himself the Typhon. I was killed."

"Correct." said a voice behind her, and she turned to see an attractive young man with a mop of messy blond hair in a shirt, waistcoat, tie, duster and red converses smiling at her.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, confused. "Where am I? What happened?"

The man put a hand to his chin as though in deep thought. "Hm. Those are all very good questions, but I'm afraid I can't really answer them. And I don't really show myself to anyone...but er...I guess I made an exception this time, so...I guess you can call me 'Tim'." said the attractive man as he stopped in front of her. She instinctively stepped backwards, causing him to chuckle. "No need to be wary, I don't mean any harm."

"Your name is..._Tim_?"

"Yeah." He muttered in a matter of fact tone. "What? My name's not epic enough for you? You got a problem with the name 'Tim'?"

She shook her head wildly. "No, that's not what I meant. But, er... Why am I here?"

"You're here because you're my special guest."

"...Guest?"

He nodded; it dawned to her that he was chewing gum and he blew a large pink bubble before it popped over his lips. "Mm-hm."

"So I'm dead?"

"Maybe." He said as he stuffed the burst gum back into his mouth, which confused and saddened her, "Dead or not, who cares? You'll die eventually. People die in the end anyway. Who cares if it was today or tomorrow?"

Lucy said nervously, "Is this hell?"

The man looked at her before he threw his head back, laughing. "_Hell?_ No. This is Route 30 in Ohio." He said once he stopped laughing, and she looked somewhat relieved. Tim said, "I'm here to show you something." Then he noticed how glum her expression had become. "Whatsa matter? You miss Vergil?"

She nodded. "It's all my fault. I'm just not helpful in any way."

Sighing, the man ran a hand through his hair then shook his head. "Sheesh. Stop beating yourself up. You're just a human for god's sake. What else could you have done? And he treated you like dirt and you still show signs of caring for him. Sheesh what is wrong with you girls these days. It doesn't even make any sense. You don't go for the good guys, no... you like all the bad guys. You know, the ones who break your hearts into itty bitty pieces and make you pick them all up and cry over 'em. Seriously! All the time without fail. Even if he was the world's biggest jerkass you'd probably follow him to the ends of the earth, am I right? Still...from what I'm gonna show you, you seem to be used to that kind of stuff. Let me show you what I mean."

She raised a brow in response to his rambling. Digging his hands in his pockets, the strange man called 'Tim' began to wander down the highway and she followed after him. As they continued to walk, Lucy wondered who he was. "Tim, who are you really?"

"Me? I told you who I am. I'm Tim."

"Are you a demon?"

"If I told you I was, and if I told you I wasn't, would it make a difference?"

"I guess not." Now she truly wondered what he was but those thoughts did not last long when the scenery before her slowly dissolved from a dark and lonely road and into one of a small street lined with cars, trees and houses. It was daylight and she stopped in her tracks, baffled. He turned round, wondering why she had paused.

"We're not there yet, let's keep going." He said, and he continued down the path.

She trailed after him anxiously and finally he had reached his destination – a cozy-looking house with a front porch and white picket fence and black car parked outside. He opened the gate and sauntered through, stepping over the grass and up to the door. From outside the house, he could hear loud screaming and shouting from within.

Lucy approached him and frowned. "Why are we – " Before she could finish, the door suddenly opened widely and a man came stomping out, hurling obscenities and colorful curses. A woman came out shortly and stood at the porch, her face red and covered in tears. She too, was screaming at him before she watched him go into the car and drive off. The house would go silent and Lucy watched the woman, clearly upset and distressed while Tim the demon merely watched on, intrigued.

"Let's go inside, shall we?" Tim said. Without further ado, he walked through the door and Lucy trailed after him yet again. They entered the lounge to see it was a mess – a vase was broken, flowers and mud over the floor, some furniture were tipped over... Tim stood beside Lucy as he watched the woman regain her composure, and calmly wander over to a little girl crying loudly as she sat on the stairs and picked her up.

"Hey sweetie. Are you okay?" said the woman, but the little girl continued bawling. "It's okay, that mean, horrible man is gone...he's gone, he won't be back...he won't hurt you anymore, I promise you. You're safe."

On the little girl's cheek was an ugly red mark and on her neck and arms were a few bruises. The woman picked her up and went upstairs. Tim and Lucy did not follow, watching the woman return to the lounge before she began to clean up the mess in the living room silently, weeping.

Tim said, "Geez, your dad was a terrible piece of work."

Lucy said nothing; instead, she gazed at the woman who was crouched over the floor, cleaning up the mess. She made a move to walk forwards but he stopped her. "Let me go to her." She said.

"We're not actually _here_, you know. We're like ghosts."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Because this is your past. This is who you are." He said, "Okay, I think we've seen enough. Let's move on." Making a beeline for the kitchen, he left the house through the backdoor, the door closing behind him. Lucy watched the woman for a while longer but then Tim re-opened the door and poked his head through. "Hey, Lucy. Don't just stand there. C'mon!"

She left the woman sobbing and weeping with much reluctance and exited the house, opening the backdoor and stepping through. She thought they'd be in the back garden as she remembered her old house, but then the scenery had changed and the door had led her to a tight and cramped corridor.

An apartment.

Lucy stiffened on the spot and couldn't find herself moving. She saw a small pair of shoes in the corner and her mom's shoes near the umbrella stand. The apartment was dark and Tim was nowhere to be seen, but she could see a light at the end of the hall. The living room light was on, the door open. Lucy was too scared to move until Tim appeared from a door to her left – the kitchen, if she remembered correctly – and holding a can of beer and a peeled banana in his hand; he tilted his head towards the direction of the light.

"This way."

She shook her head. "Tim... I don't want to see. I know what happened here. Don't make me see this again."

"It doesn't work that way." said Tim as he downed the rest of the beer, finished the banana and dumped the rubbish over his shoulder without a second glance; then he looped his arm with hers and patted her head reassuringly, "Don't be scared. I'm here for you."

She frowned at him and he guided her down the corridor and towards the open doorway of the living room. She couldn't bear to watch and closed her eyes whilst Tim's eyes went wide. Before them, the body of a woman was hanging from the ceiling fan by a noose. A young version of Lucy sat in the corner, crying loudly.

"Damn..." muttered Tim, while Lucy finally tore her arm away from his and marched away from the living room. He took one more look at the dead woman then at the little girl in the corner and followed Lucy out. "...You okay?"

Lucy was trembling as she stood in the corridor, her fists curling. "I told you."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Tim murmured, "Movin' on now..." He sidestepped to the door at the end of the hall – the one which she remembered led to the bathroom – and he opened it, revealing the same apartment corridor they'd just been in, except it was broad daylight and Lucy, as a little girl, stood at a bedroom door, clutching a teddy bear.

"Dad...I don't feel so good." said young Lucy. Her voice was throaty, congested. "I can't stop coughing..."

A hoarse man's voice could be heard from within the room. "...Don't you fucking come crying to me...I don't know...go and get some ibuprofen or somethin'...an' leave me the hell alone..." He sounded drunk.

The little girl could do nothing but nod meekly. "...Okay..." came her dejected response.

Tim and Present Lucy watched Young Lucy return to the direction of the kitchen. Tim turned to Present Lucy beside him and sighed. "...Guess you were stuck with him after your mom died."

"Yeah."

"Do you remember them well?"

"My dad, yes. My mom, no."

"So you retained all the bad memories."

"Don't you think you remember the bad stuff more than the good ones?"

Tim pondered her words then found himself nodding in agreement. "Sometimes you do seem to remember the bad more vividly than the good I suppose, now that you mention it. What happened next?"

Lucy sighed inwardly and glanced at him tiredly.

"Hm, never mind. I'll find out myself." Tim muttered, before he guided Lucy through the living room door and they found themselves in a fast-forwarded moment in time within the apartment.

Lucy's dad lay sprawled over the floor in a sad heap, surrounded by numerous, empty beer bottles, his mouth, clothes and the floor covered in vomit. Lucy stared whilst Tim's nose scrunched up and he raised a brow and then –

"Dad, I'm home." A tired voice said from the hallway.

A teenaged Lucy then entered the scene, slipping through the lounge after removing her shoes and bag only to come to a skidding halt. She stared wide-eyed at her unmoving father on the ground before she hurried out of the room. Tim and Present Lucy could then hear Teenage Lucy calling the paramedics until she broke down into tears over the phone.

"Even though he was a terrible father, you still cried for him." Tim said, but he elicited no successful response from Present Lucy, "Let's go. I think we've seen enough."

They left the lounge and apartment and stepped out of the front door. Now they were at the garden of a large and old, brown building – a church. St Orsola's Convent, to be precise. There were a group of girls giggling and talking to each other, standing closely in a small group. A lone girl far away from the group sat on a swing, staring into space. It was teenage Lucy. Her expression was sunken in, dark and cold. From her expression, Tim could tell exactly what she was thinking.

"Ohhh dear," Tim said, rubbing the back of his head, "Look what happened to you, compared to them. They're happy and glowing and they have never experienced what you went through. Can't say I blame you."

Lucy watched her quiet, teenage-self perched on the swing, staring vacantly into space. "...No-one made an effort to talk to me...and I didn't want to talk to anyone, so it was hard to make friends, until – " She paused when from out of nowhere, another girl came up to her teenage self warily.

_"Hi, I'm Chloe. What's your name?"_

Teenage-Lucy looked up at her for a long time, then finally uttered out quietly, _"...Lucy."_

_"Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"You don't look it."_

Tim tilted his head to the side as he watched the conversation. "So Chloe was the first friend you made in the convent. Some friend she turned out to be. She cursed you the day she died."

Present-Lucy sighed heavily. "...Are we done?"

"Oh yeah."

With that, the church faded away and suddenly they were in a field of beautiful yellow flowers; Lucy immediately recognized it be the mass stretch of grassland that surrounded Hag's shack. Turning round, she then saw herself and Vergil sitting on the rock that overlooked the waterfall. She remembered this. It was the day she had woken up from Circe's poison, having learned it was Vergil who went to retrieve it for her by battling the Naga. She was so happy when she found out. it changed everything between her and Vergil.

Lucy stared at her past-self and the half-devil; they both seemed so oblivious and at ease. She couldn't help but let out a choked sob, realizing what would happen next and what lay in store for them. Tim followed her gaze and then swerved his glance to Lucy, noticing that she was beginning to weep.

"Uh..." He started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "...Listen..."

"I wish we could've just stayed like that forever. I was so happy – " Lucy stopped to sniff and dab at her eyes, "I miss him. I miss Vergil. I want to go back to him."

Tim glanced to the side. "Well..." Abruptly the fields vanished and it was back to being the dark, cold and empty highway once more. Whilst Lucy continued to weep to herself, Tim added, "Well, that's everything so far. Now it's time for you to go back."

"...What?"

He offered her a reassuring smile. "What's been done is done. It's been really nice talking to you. See you around, Lucy. Live long. Live well."

* * *

Lucy's eyes jerked opened fiercely and she inhaled a sharp, frantic gasp.

Her vision was dark.

And it smelled like earth, wherever she was.

Her limbs were stiff and she was cold all over.

Panicking, Lucy tried to move, lifting her arms to reach into the darkness before her. Her fingertips landed on something brittle and dry and she began to dig her way out as soon as she saw a little white spot.

Light.

She continued to claw and dig her way out of the darkness until she managed to slip her arm out and she felt cool air bite at her palm from all over. It dawned to her she had been buried. She used as much strength as she could to claw her way out of her confines, bursting out of the soil. Immediately, bright light flooded her vision and she had to squeeze her eyes shut for a moment until slowly re-opening them. Letting her eyes slowly adjust to the scenery, Lucy pulled herself out of the ground, coughing and spluttering for breath. And then -

"Lucy_._"

The voice was familiar. Lucy slowly glanced up where she saw a white-haired man dressed in blue before her as though he had been waiting. She recognized him immediately. Her throat was dry, as if it had been in long disuse. Her mouth moved slightly but no words came out. She was shivering and noticed that she was naked albeit covered in dirt and surrounded by woodland. She slowly glimpsed over her shoulder. It was a grave which she'd just crawled out of, covered in a mass array of flowers which she'd now just desecrated. Some of the flowers were wilting, indicating how long they'd been there.

The man approached her and removed his long blue coat, draping it over her shoulders, wrapping it around her. She turned to face him and he stared at her for a few long moments silently before she shakily lifted her hands and planted them on the sides of his face.

"Ver...gil..." She croaked out, "...Vergil..."

His gaze never leaving hers, he pulled her into his arms, clutching her tightly. She returned the gesture, closing her eyes as she leaned against him.

For a long time, they remained comfortably in each other's embrace.

* * *

**A/N**

**Jeralee:** Upon writing Chapter 29..

_"I was...I was taken by a demon." She muttered to herself. "He called himself the Typhon. I was killed."_

_"Correct." said a voice behind her, and she turned to see an attractive young man with a mop of messy blond hair in a shirt, tie, duster and red converses smiling at her._

_"Who are you?" Lucy asked, confused._

_Strange man: "I'm The Doctor."_

_Lucy: Doctor Who?_

After I wrote that part I realized how much the crossroads demon's description vaguely resembled the Tenth Doctor lol.

I think we're also nearing the end of this story. I'm wondering how much I can write after this. If its OOC of Vergil, I honestly could not think of anything else...I think for once he has finally stopped thinking about power and about something else, someone else for a change... also I had Vergil hug her, because I figured if he didn't, it is too cruel.

Since I've never written anything about Lucy, her surname, her age or who she is, I thought this would be a good opportunity. Her background is tragic, but I also didn't want it to become the point of Mary Sue. The only way I see this becoming Mary Sue is if she keeps talking about it, crying over it and makes it all about herself and then Vergil will fall in love with her because of that and they go off to make babies and out pops Nero or whatever. So I've decided Lucy has quite the not-so-ordinary childhood. Her father was an abusive alcoholic and they moved from a nice house to a shitty dismal apartment where Lucy's mom eventually can't take anymore and hangs herself. And Lucy doesn't get saved by some knight in white armor and lives happily ever after, no she continues living with her shitty alcoholic father and after he overdoses on booze she is taken in by the convent but by then she's a drained and sullen person who has a hard time making friends and fitting in.

...


	30. Chapter 30

Ungh! This fic is officially back on hiatus on now. I'm churning things out at a really slow pace. Sorry guys, I got lots of things to deal with right now in my life too. I'll try to update as much as I can. Thanks for the reviews, hope you like this chapter. May need some editing which I'll leave for a later date.

* * *

_"A small world where people know each other, and still so deep, able to get lost." _

_..._

_..._

**3 months later.**

**...**

Business at Devil May Cry had been scarce for a long time.

In fact, it'd been so scarce, he was beginning to get worried for a change. Was it a good thing or a bad thing? It meant demons weren't causing problems...on the other hand, his wallet was very empty. And the rent was due in two days.

"Wonder what's happenin'..." Dante murmured to himself as he ogled his unmoving black telephone whilst scratching his chin.

And then the door opened and Morrison burst in, looking rather sweaty. "Dante!" He exclaimed, "I'm glad you're here!"

Dante glanced up with a grin, "Morrison! Just in time! I was wondering where you were. Got anything?"

As Dante hopped off his seat to greet him, Morrison removed his fedora and fanned himself. "No, but there's been news." He said, "Apparently another demon hunter has set up store in a different city. Many have turned their business to this individual."

"What!" Dante exclaimed, "...Who is it?"

"I don't know, I've not seen or met them yet."

Many thoughts rushed through his mind. What if it was a hot babe? What if it was an ugly old man? What if -

Something occurred to him, halting that train of thought, and Dante said, "Wait, you said people are goin' to this person instead. People don't trust me anymore?"

A silence rose within the shop. "W-well...things would be...er... a lot better if you improved your customer service..." Morrison stuttered slightly.

"Customer service? Pfft."

"Shall we go see?" Morrison added, holding up his car keys in the air.

He was actually tempted to let this pass but something nagged at him to go investigate. A new demon hunter? This was very interesting. "Yeah, let's." Dante grabbed his weapons and followed Morrison out of the shop.

...

The drive was rather long; they left the shop and they arrived at a city which Dante hadn't heard of. Apparently it was small with a modest population consisting of fishermen and farmers. He wondered who this new devil hunter might be, especially since it was such an odd place to set up business considering the city would've been a better choice to land more customers.

Nevertheless, Morrison parked his small car at a cobblestone street and this prompted Dante to get out. As Morrison ensured the vehicle was locked, Dante wandered down the tiny street and spotted the so-called business Morrison had mentioned earlier. It was a small shop, maybe even smaller than his own and it was squashed between a barber's and a grocer's, which were closed. On the door was the sign saying 'Open'. He glanced at the traditional exterior head to toe before Morrison joined him. He could detect numerous demon wards surrounding the area. It was definitely a demon hunting business.

"This is it," Dante said, and his companion nodded. "Right then, let's go."

He pushed open the door with much force which had Morrison wincing somewhat and Dante glanced around curiously. It was even smaller inside; he barely fitted in the small hall, and the shop resembled more of a typical reception area, with a desk with a lit candle stood at the very end, a waiting area at the side consisting of two settees and coffee table. The floor was old and wooden, a dark brown chocolate color. The wall decor was an equally dark shade of plum red. The windows were fitted with blinds and all in all, it looked like a private investigator's office. A bookcase stood far back, filled to the brim with books of all shapes and sizes. A door to the right seemed to lead to the back office. There were stairs leading to a second floor, indicating a bedroom and a bathroom. The only light in the room was from a lightbulb dangling from the ceiling.

"_Ooh, customers_." He heard a voice and the door at the far end swung open and a girl padded out.

However, as soon as Dante laid eyes on this girl, he almost leapt a foot in the air. "Lucy?!" He couldn't help but exclaim.

"Hm?" The girl stopped before them with a smile, "...Dante?"

It was indeed, Lucy. She stood before them, dressed in a blouse and denims, looking ordinary and normal but most definitely alive. "Luce!" In mere seconds, Dante dived her for gleefully, grabbed her by the arm, bringing her into a bone-crushing hug. "You're alive!"

"Haha...er...what do you mean?" She tried to wriggle out of his arms as he swirled her around and around.

"You don't remember?"

She looked blankly at him, "...Remember what?"

He put her down, glancing at the rest of the shop interior. "Where's Vergil? Is he here? Aww man, don't tell me...he's the demon hunter everyone's talkin' about?!"

"Well, we did set up a new business for the time being...You just missed him actually; Vergil's out on an errand right now." Lucy said.

"Whaaaat? So he left you here all alone?" He exclaimed, but then he shrugged, "Well, I did notice a lot of wards..."

"And this is...?" Lucy said, gesturing to Morrison.

On cue, Morrison cleared his throat and stepped forwards, "The name is Morrison. I'm Dante's agent."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Lucy." They briefly shook hands, "Since you're here, have a seat. Vergil will be back soon." Dante watched as Lucy shuffled towards the couch and gestured to it, he followed her example and settled himself down over one plushy seat whilst Morrison joined him. Dante propped his legs up on the coffee table, lounging lazily whilst Morrison removed his fedora and kept it in his hands. As Lucy returned to the doorway, she said, "Do you want anything to drink? Unfortunately, we don't have any booze. Vergil doesn't like to drink."

Whilst Dante snickered, Morrison said, "May I have a coffee, Miss Lucy?"

"Sure. How do you take it?"

"Black, no sugar. Thank you."

"Okay. One black coffee coming right up. Dante, do you want anything?"

"No thanks, I'm good, babe." was Dante's response.

They waited for a while until Lucy returned with Morrison's coffee in a white mug which she settled over the table. Morrison thanked her and Lucy joined them opposite on the couch.

"Soooo...you set up business here?" Dante said, as Morrison tasted his coffee. Now would be a good time for questions.

Lucy nodded.

"Why?"

"We were running out of money and Vergil didn't want me working. He says I have poor health." Lucy replied with a weak smile, "So we came here and found a place to stay and we were just going to stay for a few days but then the Mayor of this town – his son got taken by a demon – and he asked Vergil to help. At first, I thought Vergil wouldn't do it, but he left town for a few days and then returned with the Mayor's lost son."

Dante listened to all this carefully.

"The Mayor was so grateful he gave us this store and more and more people came up to us asking for help. It turns out this town's really had it tough; they've seen their fair share of demon problems. We don't charge a lot, because they really can't afford it but we try to help them out as much as we can."

"Interestingggg." Dante drawled, "And...Vergil's okay with all this?"

"I don't know. He hasn't said anything, so I guess he is."

This is unlike Vergil, he thought to himself. "Y'know, it's been three months since I saw him. And you." Dante said, "Luce, what happened to you guys? Where did you guys go?"

"What do you mean?"

"Er...well, I mean..." Dante reached over and prodded at Lucy's arm, his finger digging into soft, squidgy flesh.

"...Uh...what are you doing?"

"You're not a zombie?"

"What are you talking about?"

Dante threw a rather concerned glance to Morrison who returned his glance, but ultimately was more interested in his coffee. Dante said, "Luce...you were dead. I saw you."

At first, Lucy stared at Dante for a long time before she let out a loud laugh. "Hahah! You're so funny, Dante!"

"I'm serious. You...you died." Inwardly, he wondered if it was right to press on. "...Don't you remember?"

Finally, Lucy stopped laughing. "I...died?" She uttered under her breath, clearly confused. "I didn't – "

The shop fell silent as soon as she stopped.

Morrison and Dante watched her carefully. "Dante, I don't think you should've said anything." Morrison muttered under his breath, as Lucy's face suddenly went pale.

Her smile dropped slowly and her gaze became vacant, her eyes becoming glassy. "I...I...died." She muttered, before her eyes went wide. She started to tremble, her arms slowly creeping up to clamp over her ears. "I died."

"Uh...Luce...?" Dante tried to reach for her, but she seemed unresponsive.

"I died," She was muttering incoherently under her breath, "I...I..."

Suddenly the front door slammed open and there stood the older twin with Yamato and a bloodied duffle bag in his other hand; he did not look any different than usual, with the same blue coat and expression... except his hair was a little longer, tied into a short ponytail. The frown worsened considerably, eyes narrowing into slits as soon as he spotted Dante and Morrison on the couch.

Immediately, Dante stood up. "Verge!"

"Dante." Vergil said; he averted his glance from his brother to the frantic Lucy. "What are you doing here?"

"Just visitin'."

Vergil put down the bag and went to the girl's side abruptly, crouching beside her and plucking one hand off the side of her head, slipping her trembling palm into his own. "Lucy."

Lucy finally stopped her quaking and gradually turned to him. "Vergil!" She seemed relieved to see him and threw her arms around him tightly.

"Are you alright?" He muttered quietly, whilst Dante watched this display with much interest.

She loosened her arms slightly, nodding. "Uh-huh..."

Nevertheless, he scooped her off the ground and into his arms and carried her towards the stairs. Lucy clutched onto him tightly; her expression was troubled, and Vergil turned to Dante and Morrison and said, "She needs rest. You can show yourself out."

"Hey! We just got here!" Dante snapped angrily. He knew Vergil wouldn't care for any explanations despite his absence and that this would be how it would be.

"Yes, and I appreciate it if you don't come back here ever again." came Vergil's icy response. "Now go."

...

Once Vergil returned downstairs, he was not impressed to see Dante waiting for him. He didn't think Dante would leave despite his request. Funnily enough, Morrison was missing; maybe he'd returned to their car, which he had seen parked outside near the shop. Vergil wandered over to the duffle bag, picked it up and strode to his desk where he seated himself down, making sure he didn't sit on his coattails.

"Hey bro." Dante said casually, sidling up to him as he watched Vergil open one drawer and take out some paperwork and a quill pen and ink. Next, he watched as Vergil reached for the lit candle that was beside a bookstand and let some hot red wax drip over the paper. He then grabbed a marble stamp and pressed down and removed it after a few seconds, in which there was the Seal of Sparda.

"What do you want, Dante." Vergil muttered; he was dipping the sharp tip into the ink and writing carefully on the document. Dante couldn't see much due to the eloquent handwriting but it appeared to be a contract of some sort.

"So you're the new demon hunter everyone's talking about." He pointed out.

"Is that why you are here?"

"Yeah." He said, "What happened to Mundus?"

"I'm attempting to track the whereabouts of the Typhon. He disappeared after that fateful day. Since the townsfolk have been plagued by demon infestations and other inconvenience, I've been able to use this as a means to gather information which will lead me to the creature and therefore, Mundus." Vergil replied, before he added, "Either way, I have my own agenda. I don't intend to help. I'm not assisting the humans in any way."

"Riiiight. What do you call this then?" Dante quickly nabbed the piece of paper from Vergil's desk and held it up. It was indeed, a contract, which Vergil had signed and stamped with Sparda's symbol. "Whoa, you're so official. So prim and proper and - "

"Hm. Yes. Now give that back. It is to be returned to the issuer." Vergil demanded.

"What's with dad's seal?"

"If things are to be done, I intend to carry them out the correct way."

Dante handed it to him promptly and Vergil continued his writing. "You're taking my business away."

There was the slightest hint of a smirk appearing on Vergil's face. "Is that so."

"Hey, that's not funny."

"Of course it isn't. It must be a matter of days until you're left to fend yourself on the streets."

Oh boy, despite being missing for three months, Vergil's tongue was as sharp and ill-mannered as ever. "Okay, so you're setting up a demon business thingie whilst trying to find out more about the Typhon. I got a question about Lucy though." Dante said, "After you left that day with her, what happened? Why didn't you come back to the shop?"

With that, Vergil shook his head in response and stood up from his desk, facing his younger twin. "We've used much of your hospitality, which I am grateful for. But I didn't find it convenient to stay."

"But Verge, I don't mind if you wanna hang around for longer." Dante said; damn it, he was beginning to sound like he was missing Vergil. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, "...This is probably gonna sound wrong, but...how come Lucy is not-dead? Unless she really is a zombie? The walking dead?"

Vergil finally put down the quill in his hand. "Not-dead." He muttered, lamenting Dante's poor choice of words. "Lucy is not dead because of me."

"What did you do?"

He hesitated for a brief period and averted his glance to the stairs. He'd put Lucy to sleep and she was out like a light. She should be oblivious to the conversation. "I suppose an explanation is feasible; I went to a crossroads demon."

Dante spluttered immediately, "What?! You went to a - ?! But...don't they want something in return? What did you exchange?"

"I gave him Kusanagi."

"What's that?"

"The only weapon capable of defeating Mundus."

Dante's eyes bulged next. "And you just gave it away? But that's..."

"Yes, I know." Vergil said calmly.

"...Is that all you gave him?"

Vergil glanced to the side, "I also gave him twenty years."

Dante raised a brow. "...Twenty years of...what? Your life?"

He nodded. "Yes, my lifespan has been considerably reduced; I exchanged twenty years in return for hers."

Both twins fell silent.

"...Geez, Verge..."

"It was my decision, Dante." Vergil replied, "I'm grateful he did not ask for Yamato or my ability to Devil Trigger. I doubt he could do anything productive with those."

"Does she know?"

"No. She doesn't. And she doesn't recall her death, she remembers up to a certain point, when you and I were battling atop the Temen-ni-gru; I believe she may have the fleeting penchant something happened to her, but when she attempts to recall those memories, it distresses her and it takes her a long time to calm down. Again, I'd appreciate if you don't bring it up."

"Shouldn't you tell her though?"

"In due time, perhaps. I'm not hiding anything from her. It just isn't the right time."

"She'll be upset."

"Yes. Precisely why I mentioned the _right time_."

"Doesn't matter, I think Lucy's the kind of gal who would say something like "_You're better off leaving me dead_." that kind of thing."

"Either way, what's been done is done. And I don't think you'd be the type to resent Lucy."

"What?! No way! I would never do that! Ya know...couldn't you bring mom back too? What about dad?"

Vergil was silent for a moment, and then: "No. At that moment, no."

"Where's this crossroads demon? Let me talk to him!"

The older twin sighed then. "Stop this foolishness, Dante."

"Well...okay. Geez, I really don't know what to make of this."

"There is nothing for you to make out of." Vergil replied; he returned to his seat and began working on the rest of his paperwork. "Unfortunately there is no guest room. You won't be able to stay the night. I also have a lot of work matters to attend to, so its best you stay out of my way."

Dante really didn't know what to think of this. Here was his brother with his mate, whom he'd brought back to life by going to a crossroads demon. And now they were living together, managing a business together. Vergil was demon-hunting, too. "I get it, I get it. I'm going. But I'll come visit you and Lucy again sometime soon, okay? And stop takin' all my business, give some to me, will ya?"

"We shall see, brother. Now farewell."

Before he left, Dante was very worried for his brother.

* * *

**A/N**

Dante was actually very polite in this chapter. I imagined more of a dramatic reaction to the sudden return of Lucy and Vergil suddenly-becoming-a-demon-hunter-thang but I didn't write him freaking out or anything. Also, I had wanted to write about after Vergil and Lucy were reunited. They traveled together for a short period before settling down in the unnamed city where Vergil inadvertently helps someone.

PS OMFG have you seen ponytail!Vergil? There's a picture of him somewhere in zerochan. So f*cking hot.

PSS Yes Vergil carried Lucy like a baby up the stairs lol XD


End file.
